Taïwan: a unique geopolitical situation

Taïwan has a very unstable modern political evolution. Once considered as a Chinese province, this island was annexed by Japan in 1895. Until 1949, Taiwan was a Japanese territory for more than half a century and thus bears a significant Japanese heritage. For example, the quality of transport and irrigation systems come from this heritage. Following the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China by Mao Tsé-tong on October 1, 1949, the nationalist army and its leader Chang Kai-chek moved to Taiwan and quickly took power. On occasion, he transfers the Republic of China to Taiwan. They managed to resist the compressor roller of Communist China and, despite increasing diplomatic isolation and the maintenance of a considerable military effort, multiplied economic victories in the 1980s.

Since then, both states have claimed to represent China, each claiming the territory of the other. In 1992, an agreement between the representatives of the two camps established the existence of “one China”. This agreement improves economic relations between Taiwan and the continent but prevents them from having a seat in the UN and an importance in international bodies.

This situation reinforces Taiwan’s desire for independence. In fact, the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen, in favour of Taiwan’s official independence, confirms this general state of mind. However, Taiwan’s economic dependence on China continental is too great for independence to be considered in the near future.

At left, the taïwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen; at right thousands protesting for Taiwan's independence