191-552: The Republic of China Armed Forces are the armed forces of the Republic of China (ROC), which once ruled Mainland China and is now currently restricted to its territorial jurisdictions of Taiwan , Penghu , Kinmen , and Matsu Islands . They consist of the Army , Navy (including the Marine Corps ), Air Force and Military Police Force . The military is under the civilian control of
382-506: A province . Taipei became the permanent capital in 1893. Liu's efforts to increase revenues on Taiwan's produce were hampered by foreign pressure not to increase levies. A land reform was implemented, increasing revenue which still fell short of expectation. Modern technologies such as electric lighting, a railway, telegraph lines, steamship service, and industrial machinery were introduced under Liu's governance, but several of these projects had mixed results. A campaign to formally subjugate
573-651: A Japanese expedition was sent to survey Taiwan. After being attacked by the Indigenous people, they took some prisoners and returned home. In 1616, a Japanese fleet of 13 ships were sent to Taiwan. Due to a storm, only one ship made it there and is presumed to have returned to Japan. In 1624, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established Fort Zeelandia on the coastal islet of Tayouan (in modern Tainan ). The lowland areas were occupied by 11 Indigenous chiefdoms , some of which fell under Dutch control, including
764-489: A Republic, and to distribute land equally among the people." Revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen proposed the name Chunghwa Minkuo as the assumed name of the new country when the revolution succeeded. During the 1950s and 1960s, after the ROC government had withdrawn to Taiwan, it was commonly referred to as "Nationalist China" (or " Free China ") to differentiate it from "communist China" (or " Red China "). Over subsequent decades,
955-507: A book in which he talked about the extermination of the Manchus for the 260 years of oppression, sorrow, cruelty, and tyranny, and creating new revolutionary Han figures. Before 1908, revolutionaries focused on coordinating these organizations in preparation for uprisings they would launch; hence, these groups would provide most of the manpower needed for the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. After
1146-586: A civilian Minister of Defense, and created new organizations at the MND to improve strategic planning and armaments procurement. The two defense laws were also passed in part because of a scandal during the 1990s about the ROC Navy's decision to purchase certain French frigates , which involved bribery of senior officials and the death of the officer in charge of navy procurement, and resulted in years of investigations. The effect of
1337-743: A conflict between the citizens and local police against the New Army. After revolutionary leader Ni Yingdian was killed by Qing forces, the remaining revolutionaries were quickly defeated, causing the uprising to fail. On 27 April 1911, an uprising occurred in Guangzhou, known as the Second Guangzhou Uprising ( 辛亥廣州起義 ) or Yellow Flower Mound Revolt ( 黃花岡之役 ). It ended in disaster, as 86 bodies were found (only 72 could be identified). The 72 revolutionaries were remembered as martyrs. Revolutionary Lin Juemin
1528-513: A democracy. Chiang Ching-kuo , Chiang Kai-shek's son, served as premier from 1972 and rose to the presidency in 1978. He sought to move more authority to " bensheng ren " (residents of Taiwan before Japan's surrender and their descendants). Pro-democracy activists Tangwai emerged as the opposition. In 1979, the Kaohsiung Incident took place in Kaohsiung on Human Rights Day . Although
1719-632: A good proportion of islanders and re-privatizing businesses. After the end of World War II, the Chinese Civil War resumed. A series of Chinese Communist offensives in 1949 led to the capture of its capital Nanjing on 23 April and the subsequent defeat of the Nationalists on the mainland. The Communists founded the People's Republic of China on 1 October. On 7 December 1949, Chiang Kai-Shek evacuated his Nationalist government to Taiwan and made Taipei
1910-614: A member of the United Nations after UN members voted in 1971 to recognize the PRC instead. The ROC maintained its claim of being the sole legitimate representative of China and its territory until 1991, when it ceased to regard the Chinese Communist Party as a rebellious group and acknowledged its control over mainland China. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses to establish diplomatic relations with countries that recognise
2101-925: A name for the island, or the part of it closest to Penghu . Elsewhere, the name was used for the Ryukyu Islands in general or Okinawa specifically; the name Ryūkyū is the Japanese form of Liúqiú . The name also appears in the Book of Sui (636) and other early works, but scholars cannot agree on whether these references are to the Ryukyus, Taiwan or even Luzon . The name Formosa ( 福爾摩沙 ) dates from 1542, when Portuguese sailors noted it on their maps as Ilha Formosa ( Portuguese for " beautiful island "). The name Formosa eventually "replaced all others in European literature" and remained in common use among English speakers into
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#17328552671782292-424: A non-state basis. Domestically, the major political contention is between parties favoring eventual Chinese unification and promoting a pan-Chinese identity, contrasted with those aspiring to formal international recognition and promoting a Taiwanese identity ; in the 21st century, both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. In his Daoyi Zhilüe (1349), Wang Dayuan used " Liuqiu " as
2483-711: A number of countries until the 1970s. The earliest use of the name "Republic of China Armed Forces (中華民國國軍)" can be found in the first Constitution of the Republic of China in the Nanjing Government in 1947. Prior to 1947, the ROC Armed Forces were known as the National Revolutionary Army , which was founded by Sun Yat-sen in Guangdong in 1924. Because the Republic of China was divided by warlords since
2674-513: A rebellion" (三年一反、五年一亂), primarily in reference to the period between 1820 and 1850. Many officials stationed in Taiwan called for an active colonization policy over the 19th century. In 1788, Taiwan Prefect Yang Tingli supported the efforts of a settler named Wu Sha to claim land held by the Kavalan people . In 1797, Wu Sha was able to recruit settlers with financial support from the local government but
2865-463: A revolution in family, gender and social values, would remove the need for government and coercion. Zhang Ji and Wang Jingwei were among the anarchists who defended assassination and terrorism as means to awaken the people to revolution, but others insisted that education was the only justifiable strategy. Important anarchists included Cai Yuanpei . Zhang Renjie gave Sun major financial help. Many of these anarchists would later assume high positions in
3056-584: A special forces unit (the Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit ), and some support units. The Air Force is responsible for defending Taiwanese airspace and assisting in disaster relief. In recent years the ROCAF had to send aircraft to respond to Chinese planes entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone. Founded on mainland China, the ROC Air Force on Taiwan received U.S. military assistance in
3247-573: A surplus of $ 46.5 million. Along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, Taiwan became known as one of the Four Asian Tigers . Because of the Cold War, most Western nations and the United Nations regarded the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China until the 1970s. Eventually, especially after Taiwan's expulsion from the United Nations , most nations switched diplomatic recognition to
3438-580: A total value of US$ 125 million. The United States government indicated its approval of the order with notification to the United States Congress of the potential sale. In mid-September 2007, the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of P-3C Orion order, which included 12 Orions and three "spare aircraft", along with an order for 144 SM-2 Block IIIA missiles. The total value of the 12 P-3C Orions were estimated at around $ 1.96 billion and $ 272 million for
3629-457: A two-year grace period, which few saw as feasible. Estimates say around 4,000 to 6,000 departed before the expiration of the grace period, and 200,000 to 300,000 followed during the subsequent disorder. On 25 May 1895, a group of pro-Qing high officials proclaimed the Republic of Formosa to resist impending Japanese rule. Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan and quelled this resistance on 21 October 1895. About 6,000 inhabitants died in
3820-504: Is administered by the Executive Yuan and may be incorporated as a military branch during times of emergency but for the large part remains in civilian control. The Army is the land branch of the ROC Armed Forces tasked with defending Taiwan and its offshore islands. Because of the historical legacy of having once controlled mainland China, the Army has traditionally been the dominant branch of
4011-500: Is among the most densely populated countries . Taiwan has been settled for at least 25,000 years. Ancestors of Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, large-scale Han Chinese immigration began under a Dutch colony and continued under the Kingdom of Tungning , the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Taiwanese history . The island
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#17328552671784202-417: Is the 21st-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the 20th-largest by PPP measures, with a focus on steel, machinery, electronics, and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country . It is ranked highly in terms of civil liberties , healthcare , and human development . The political status of Taiwan is contentious. Despite being a founding member, the ROC no longer represents China as
4393-505: Is the "Republic of China". Shortly after the ROC's establishment in 1912, while it was still located on the Chinese mainland, the government used the short form "China" ( Zhōngguó , 中國 ) to refer to itself, derived from zhōng ("central" or "middle") and guó ("state, nation-state"). The term developed under the Zhou dynasty in reference to its royal demesne , and was then applied to
4584-558: Is the defense of Taiwan against a possible military invasion by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the PRC, which is seen as the predominant threat in the ongoing dispute over the ambiguous political status of Taiwan dating back to the de facto end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The ROCAF has an approximate active strength of between 169,000 and 180,000 personnel, and is capable of mobilizing as many as 2.5 million reservists in
4775-514: Is the label corresponding to 1911 according to the sexagenary cycle . The governments of Taiwan and China both consider themselves the legitimate successors to the 1911 Revolution and honor the ideals of the revolution including nationalism , republicanism , modernization of China and national unity . 10 October is the National Day of the Republic of China on Taiwan, and the Anniversary of
4966-520: The South China Morning Post . Sun Yat-sen 's Revive China Society was established in Honolulu in 1894, with the main purpose of raising funds for revolutions. The two organizations merged in 1894. The Huaxinghui (China Revival Society) was founded in 1904 by notables like Huang Xing , Zhang Shizhao , Chen Tianhua , Sun Yat-sen, and Song Jiaoren , along with 100 others. Their motto
5157-687: The 1911 Revolution , he wanted to create a military that would be politically dominated by the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang ). Sun Yat-sen accepted the help of the Soviet Union in creating a Soviet-style military and party system. As part of this effort, the Whampoa Military Academy was founded on 1 May 1924 with Soviet trainers and equipment. The Whampoa Academy provided politically indoctrinated officers that were loyal to
5348-853: The All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency , and restoring conscription from four months to twelve months. The professional head of the Armed Forces is the Chief of the General Staff , who answers to the civilian command structure under the Minister of National Defense and the ROC President . Below the Chief are the Executive Vice Chief of the General Staff and two other Vice Chiefs, who oversee
5539-755: The Beiyang Army ) as prime minister, and he began negotiations with the revolutionaries. In Nanjing, revolutionary forces created a provisional coalition government . On 1 January 1912, the National Assembly declared the establishment of the Republic of China, with Sun Yat-sen , leader of the Tongmenghui , as President of the Republic of China . A brief civil war between the North and the South ended in compromise. Sun would resign in favor of Yuan, who would become President of
5730-653: The Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War . After the ROC military was defeated by the Communists on the mainland in 1949, the Nationalists evacuated to Taiwan . The promulgation of the Constitution of the Republic of China in 1947 renamed the National Revolutionary Army to the Republic of China Armed Forces (中華民國國軍). Theoretically the army was nationalized and thus no longer belonged to
5921-748: The Cold War , including over 400 aircraft, which were mostly fighters. Beginning in 1954 with the F-86 Saber , by the late 1980s the ROCAF's fighter force also had the F-100 Super Saber , the F-104 Starfighter , and Northrop F-5 . In the 1990s Taiwan began acquiring more modern aircraft to replace the F-5 and to counter the improving People's Liberation Army Air Force , including the F-16 Fighting Falcon and
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6112-620: The Dachen and Yijiangshan islands, forcing the ROC to give them up , after artillery fire from the mainland and attacks by PLA Air Force bombers and PLA Navy PT boats. But the ROC prevented the situation from happening again during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, when its garrison on the Kinmen Islands held out through an artillery barrage, the ROC Air Force shot down many PLAAF jets while losing far less of its own, and
6303-530: The Dassault Mirage 2000 . The Air Force has reduced its total number of aircraft in the mid-2000s, has been replacing them with more modern fighters. As of 2015, the ROC Air Force had 384 fighters, 19 transports, and 25 aircraft of other types, a reduction from 420 fighters and 40 transport aircraft as of 2005. In 2023 the ROCAF had a total of 35,000 personnel and 577 aircraft (including 471 combat capable), being organized into 28 squadrons. The main components of
6494-577: The Emperor Protection Society in an attempt to restore the emperor, but others, such as Sun Yat-sen organized revolutionary groups to overthrow the dynasty rather than reform it. They could operate only in secret societies and underground organizations, in foreign concessions, or exile overseas, but created a following among Chinese in North America and Southeast Asia, and within China, even in
6685-477: The Formosa Air Battle was fought between American carriers and Japanese forces in Taiwan. Over 200,000 of Taiwanese served in the Japanese military , with over 30,000 casualties. Over 2,000 women, euphemistically called " comfort women ", were forced into sexual slavery for Imperial Japanese troops. After Japan's surrender , most Japanese residents were expelled . While Taiwan was under Japanese rule,
6876-524: The Kingdom of Middag . When the Dutch arrived, southwestern Taiwan was already frequented by a mostly transient Chinese population numbering close to 1,500. The VOC encouraged Chinese farmers to immigrate and work the lands under Dutch control and by the 1660s, some 30,000 to 50,000 Chinese were living on the island. Most of the farmers cultivated rice for local consumption and sugar for export while some immigrants engaged in deer hunting for export. In 1626,
7067-484: The Kuomintang (KMT). Many revolutionaries promoted anti-Qing/anti-Manchu sentiments and revived memories of conflict between the ethnic minority Manchu and the ethnic majority Han Chinese from the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Leading intellectuals were influenced by books that had survived from the final years of the Ming dynasty, the last dynasty of Han Chinese. In 1904, Sun Yat-sen announced that his organization's goal
7258-594: The Ministry of National Defense , a cabinet-level agency overseen by the Legislative Yuan . Formerly known as the National Revolutionary Army (NRA), it was renamed the Republic of China Armed Forces in 1947 due to the implementation of the newly promulgated Constitution of the Republic of China . It was also historically referred as the Chinese National Armed Forces (CNAF) prior to the establishment of
7449-599: The New Army under Yuan Shikai and many concluded that Chinese society also needed to be modernized if technological and commercial advancements were to succeed. In 1898, the Guangxu Emperor turned to reformers like Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao who offered a program inspired in large part by the reforms in Japan . They proposed basic reform in education, military, and economy in the so-called Hundred Days' Reform . The reform
7640-480: The Philippines were launched from Taiwan. The Imperial Japanese Navy operated heavily from Taiwanese ports, and its think tank " South Strike Group " was based at Taihoku Imperial University . Military bases and industrial centers, such as Kaohsiung and Keelung , became targets of heavy Allied bombings , which destroyed many of the factories, dams, and transport facilities built by the Japanese. In October 1944,
7831-564: The Plains Indigenous peoples rarely rebelled against the government and the mountain Indigenous peoples were left to their own devices until the last 20 years of Qing rule. Most of the more than 100 rebellions during the Qing period, such as the Lin Shuangwen rebellion , were caused by Han settlers. Their frequency was evoked by the common saying "every three years an uprising, every five years
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8022-412: The Qinzhou Uprising occurred (欽州防城起義), to protest against heavy taxation from the government. Sun Yat-sen sent Wang Heshun ( 王和順 ) there to assist the revolutionary army and captured the county in September. After that, they attempted to besiege and capture Qinzhou but were unsuccessful. They eventually retreated to the area of Shiwandashan, while Wang Heshun returned to Vietnam . On 1 December 1907,
8213-421: The ROC Army . In 1957, U.S. Ambassador Karl Rankin described the ROC as having the second largest Asian military allied to the United States. In the late 1950s, the ROC Armed Forces had 600,000 troops, including 375,000 in the Army and 17,000 political officers. During the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1954 and 1955, the People's Liberation Army gained air and naval superiority over the ROC Armed Forces near
8404-425: The Republic of China ( ROC ), is a country in East Asia . The main island of Taiwan , also known as Formosa , lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean , with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It has an area of 35,808 square kilometres (13,826 square miles), with mountain ranges dominating
8595-425: The Republic of China was founded on mainland China on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. Central authority waxed and waned in response to warlordism (1915–28), Japanese invasion (1937–45), and the Chinese Civil War (1927–49), with central authority strongest during the Nanjing decade (1927–37), when most of China came under the control of the Kuomintang (KMT). During World War II ,
8786-452: The Ryukyu Islands 30,000 years ago. Slash-and-burn agriculture practices started at least 11,000 years ago. Stone tools of the Changbin culture have been found in Taitung and Eluanbi . Archaeological remains suggest they were initially hunter-gatherers that slowly shifted to intensive fishing. The distinct Wangxing culture , found in Miaoli County , were initially gatherers who shifted to hunting. Around 6,000 years ago, Taiwan
8977-456: The Self-Strengthening Movement . In the wars against the Taiping (1851–1864), Nian (1851–1868), Yunnan (1856–1873) and Dungan (1862–1877), the court came to rely on armies raised by local officials. After a generation of relative success in importing Western naval and weapons technology, defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 was all the more humiliating and convinced many of the need for institutional change. The court established
9168-511: The Self-Strengthening movement . Many young people attended the new schools or went abroad to study in places like Japan. A new progressive class of intellectuals emerged from those students, who contributed immensely to the 1911 Revolution. Besides Sun Yat-sen, key figures in the revolution, such as Huang Xing, Song Jiaoren , Hu Hanmin , Liao Zhongkai , Zhu Zhixin and Wang Jingwei, were all Chinese students in Japan. Some were young students like Zou Rong , known for writing Revolutionary Army ,
9359-420: The Spanish Empire occupied northern Taiwan as a trading base, first at Keelung and in 1628 building Fort Santo Domingo at Tamsui . This colony lasted until 1642, when the last Spanish fortress fell to Dutch forces. The Dutch then marched south, subduing hundreds of villages in the western plains. Following the fall of the Ming dynasty in Beijing in 1644, Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) pledged allegiance to
9550-423: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom era. Ma Fuyi ( 馬福益 ) and Huaxinghui was involved in an uprising in the three areas of Pingxiang , Liuyang and Liling , called "Ping-liu-li Uprising", ( 萍瀏醴起義 ) in 1905. The uprising recruited miners as early as 1903 to rise against the Qing ruling class. After the uprising failed, Ma Fuyi was executed. Wu Yue ( 吳樾) of the Guangfuhui carried out an assassination attempt at
9741-478: The Taiwan Area , and Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint while assimilationist policies were replaced with support for multiculturalism . In 1996, Lee was re-elected in the first direct presidential election . During Lee's administration, both he and his party were involved in corruption controversies that came to be known as " black gold " politics. Chen Shui-bian of
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#17328552671789932-443: The USMC . Training exercises with the USMC were officially ended in 1979, but were resumed in 2017. More recently, the main purpose of the Marine Corps has been to defend Taiwan by disrupting PRC amphibious operations and to serve as a rapid response force. In 2021 Marines were deployed to Pratas Island when the PLA carried out war games in the area. In 2023 there were 10,000 ROC Marines, and they were organized in two Marine brigades,
10123-415: The White Terror , as the period is known, 140,000 people were imprisoned or executed for being perceived as anti-KMT or pro-Communist. Many citizens were arrested, tortured, imprisoned or executed for their real or perceived link to the Chinese Communist Party. Since these people were mainly from the intellectual and social elite, an entire generation of political and social leaders was destroyed. Following
10314-412: The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution , ended China's last imperial dynasty , the Qing dynasty , and led to the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC). The revolution was the culmination of a decade of agitation, revolts, and uprisings. Its success marked the collapse of the Chinese monarchy , the end of over two millennia of imperial rule in China and the 200-year reign of the Qing, and
10505-439: The Yongli Emperor and attacked the Qing dynasty along the southeastern coast of China. In 1661, under increasing Qing pressure, he moved his forces from his base in Xiamen to Taiwan, expelling the Dutch the following year. The Dutch retook the northern fortress at Keelung in 1664, but left the island in 1668 in the face of indigenous resistance. The Zheng regime, known as the Kingdom of Tungning , proclaimed its loyalty to
10696-421: The Zhu Yigui settler rebellion in 1722, separation of aboriginals and settlers became official policy via 54 stelae used to mark the frontier boundary. The markings were changed four times over the latter half of the 18th century due to continued settler encroachment. Two aboriginal affairs sub-prefects, one for the north and one for the south, were appointed in 1766. During the 200 years of Qing rule in Taiwan,
10887-404: The new national government , if Yuan could secure the abdication of the Qing emperor. The edict of abdication of the six-year-old Xuantong Emperor , was promulgated on 12 February 1912. Yuan was sworn in as president on 10 March 1912. In December 1915, Yuan restored the monarchy and proclaimed himself as the Hongxian Emperor, but the move was met with strong opposition from the population and
11078-451: The temporary capital of the ROC. Some 2 million people, mainly soldiers, members of the ruling Kuomintang and intellectual and business elites, were evacuated to Taiwan, adding to the earlier population of approximately six million. These people and their descendants became known in Taiwan as " waisheng ren " ( 外省人 ). The ROC government took to Taipei many national treasures and much of China's gold and foreign currency reserves. Most of
11269-496: The 144 SM-2 missiles. A contract was awarded to Lockheed Martin to refurbish the 12 P-3C Orion aircraft for the ROC on 2009-03-13, with deliveries to start in 2012. In mid-November 2007, the Pentagon notified the US Congress about a possible sale to upgrade the ROC's existing three Patriot missile batteries to the PAC-3 standard. The total value of the upgrade could be as much as $ 939 million. The US government announced on 3 October that it planned to sell $ 6.5 billion worth of arms to
11460-434: The 1911 Revolution in the PRC. Nationalism (Mínzú) Democracy (Mínquán) Socialism (Mínshēng) After suffering its first defeat by the West in the First Opium War in 1842, a conservative court culture constrained efforts to reform and did not want to cede authority to local officials. Following defeat in the Second Opium War in 1860, the Qing began efforts to modernize by adopting Western technologies through
11651-430: The 1911 Revolution, Sun Yat-sen recalled the days of recruiting support for the revolution and said, "The literati were deeply into the search for honors and profits, so they were regarded as having only secondary importance. By contrast, organizations like Sanhehui were able to sow widely the ideas of resisting the Qing and restoring the Ming." The gentry's strength in local politics became apparent. From December 1908,
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#173285526717811842-440: The 1911 Revolution, including students and intellectuals returning from abroad, as well as participants of revolutionary organizations, overseas Chinese, soldiers of the new army, local gentry, farmers, and others. Assistance from overseas Chinese was important in the 1911 Revolution. In 1894, the first year of the Revive China Society, the first meeting ever held by the group was held in the home of Ho Fon, an overseas Chinese who
12033-453: The 1943 Cairo Declaration specified that Formosa and the Pescadores be returned by Japan to the ROC; the terms were later repeated in the 1945 Potsdam Declaration that Japan agreed to carry out in its instrument of surrender . On 25 October 1945 , Japan surrendered Taiwan to the ROC, and in the Treaty of San Francisco , Japan formally renounced their claims to the islands, though without specifying to whom they were surrendered. In
12224-441: The 1950s and were defeated by Communists in 1961 . Since losing control of mainland China, the Kuomintang continued to claim sovereignty over 'all of China', which it defined to include mainland China (including Tibet), Taiwan (including Penghu), Outer Mongolia , and other minor territories . Martial law , declared on Taiwan in May 1949, continued to be in effect until 1987, and was used to suppress political opposition. During
12415-442: The 1990s with the understanding that challenging the PRC's control of the mainland was unrealistic, and instead focused on defending Taiwan and its offshore islands. At first this consisted of both offensive and defensive methods, before becoming focused only on the defensive. To reflect this change, a ten-year restructuring plan for the Armed Forces was proposed in 1993 but it was cancelled in 1995 and replaced by another plan, known as
12606-521: The 2000s, there were initial plans to turn the ROCAF into a volunteer armed forces as relations between the ROC and PRC were improving during this time. In 2012, ROC Ministry of National Defence announced that the length of service was reduced to 4 months from the original 1 year in December 2011 for those born after 1 January 1994, due to aims to establish an all-volunteer force. As since, all able-bodied men reaching conscription age will undergo 4 month long military training instead of serving for 1 year, as it
12797-401: The 20th century. In 1603, a Chinese expedition fleet anchored at a place in Taiwan called Dayuan, a variant of "Taiwan". In the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company established a commercial post at Fort Zeelandia (modern-day Anping ) on a coastal sandbar called "Tayouan", after their ethnonym for a nearby Taiwanese aboriginal tribe, possibly Taivoan people . This name
12988-431: The Armed Forces streamlining program, which was adopted by the government in December 1996. The end of the martial law in Taiwan in 1987 also led to a series of administrative reforms, occurring at the same time as the political changes. These included ending the Kuomintang's political control of the military. The ROC military bureaucracy was traditionally dominated by the Army, which was primarily an infantry force, until
13179-421: The Army was reduced to 199,237 soldiers, while the other services included 56,284 in the Navy (including Marines), 55,170 in the Air Force, 15,015 in the Combined Logistics Command, and 14,168 in the Military Police. The reduction in the number of troops continued during the presidency of Chen Shui-bian from 2000 to 2008. Taiwan's transition to democracy also meant that the Armed Forces had to transition from being
13370-480: The Army's total personnel was reported at 150,000. In 2023 it had 94,000 soldiers. In 2021, it was announced that Army's corps and regional defense commands will be abolished eventually and replaced with combat theater commands to better coordinate ground, air, and naval forces. Currently, each corps and defense command of the ROC Army is assigned to a combat theater command, and the commanding general of each formation will also lead their theater command in wartime. This
13561-408: The Army, leading to his abdication in March 1916 and the reinstatement of the Republic. Yuan's failure to consolidate a legitimate central government before his death in June 1916 led to decades of political division and warlordism , including an attempt at imperial restoration of the Qing dynasty . The name "Xinhai Revolution" is derived from the traditional Chinese calendar , where "Xinhai" ( 辛亥 )
13752-606: The Beijing Zhengyangmen East Railway station ( 正陽門車站 ) in an attack on five Qing officials on 24 September 1905. The Huanggang Uprising ( 黃岡起義 ) was launched on 22 May 1907, in Chaozhou . The revolutionary party, along with Xu Xueqiu ( 許雪秋 ), Chen Yongpo ( 陳湧波 ) and Yu Tongshi ( 余通實 ), launched the uprising and captured Huanggang city. After the uprising began, the Qing government quickly and forcefully suppressed it. Around 200 revolutionaries were killed. In
13943-735: The DPP was elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000 . However, Chen lacked legislative majority. The opposition KMT developed the Pan-Blue Coalition with other parties, mustering a slim majority over the DPP-led Pan-Green Coalition . Polarized politics emerged in Taiwan with the Pan-Blue preference for eventual Chinese unification , while the Pan-Green prefers Taiwanese independence . Chen's reference to " One Country on Each Side " of
14134-556: The Empress Dowager, prompted another foreign invasion of Beijing in 1900. After the Allies imposed a punitive settlement , the Qing court carried out basic fiscal and administrative reforms , including local and provincial elections. These moves did not secure trust or wide support among political activists. Many, like Zou Rong , felt strong anti-Manchu prejudice and blamed them for China's troubles. Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao formed
14325-492: The Indigenous peoples ended with the loss of a third of the army after fierce resistance from the Mkgogan and Msbtunux peoples. Liu resigned in 1891 due to criticism of these costly projects. By the end of the Qing period, the western plains were fully developed as farmland with about 2.5 million Chinese settlers. The mountainous areas were still largely autonomous under the control of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous land loss under
14516-784: The KMT. Despite this, the ROC Armed Forces remained in effect a party army of the Kuomintang until the 1990s. The United States began providing military supplies and equipment to the ROC after the Korean War broke out, and in 1951 the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Taiwan was created. The ROC military received extensive support from the United States, with MAAG helping set up dozens of military schools (including each branch having its own staff college and officer academy), providing American vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weapons, and restructuring
14707-799: The Legislative Yuan and prevented the ratification of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in what became known as the Sunflower Student Movement . The movement gave rise to youth-based third parties such as the New Power Party , and is viewed to have contributed to the DPP's victories in the 2016 presidential and legislative elections , the latter of which resulted in the first DPP legislative majority in Taiwanese history. In January 2024, William Lai Ching-te of
14898-609: The Main Battle Troops (主戰部隊), the active-duty volunteer force that will be responsible primarily for fighting; the Garrison Troops (守備部隊), that will mostly consist of conscripts and be used for defending infrastructure; the Civil Defense System (民防系統), consisting of alternative service personnel that do not want or are ineligible for combat roles and will be used for humanitarian aid, medical assistance, and logistics; and
15089-472: The Musha Incident of 1930. Intellectuals and laborers who participated in left-wing movements were also arrested and massacred (e.g. Chiang Wei-shui and Masanosuke Watanabe ). Around 1935, the Japanese began an island-wide assimilation project . Chinese-language newspapers and curriculums were abolished. Taiwanese music and theater were outlawed. A national Shinto religion was promoted in parallel with
15280-596: The Navy had 4 destroyers, 22 frigates, 1 corvette, 14 landing ships, and 4 diesel attack submarines. The majority of these ships are former U.S. Navy vessels. The Marine Corps is the amphibious warfare arm of the ROC Navy. The original purpose of the Marines was to carry out amphibious landings on the mainland to establish a bridgehead for Army forces, and starting in the 1950s the ROC Marines received training in amphibious warfare from
15471-544: The Navy sunk some of their PT boats. The ROC Marine Corps used its amphibious vehicles to deliver supplies to the population of the Kinmen Islands while under artillery fire from the mainland. In the 1960s the ROC sent military personnel to assist South Vietnam during the Vietnam War in non-combat roles. Up until the late 1980s, the ROC military's objective was to eventually retake the mainland. That strategy changed in
15662-611: The Navy, and 90,000 in the Air Force. The RAND Corporation estimated in 2017 that the total number of reservists is 2.5 million, including 60,000 each in the Navy and the Air Force. The Army Reserve would form 27 infantry brigades. These brigades are organized into four categories depending on the level of readiness: A-Level brigades are the highest level, and include active-duty troops that would serve with reservists; B-Level brigades would consist of cadets studying at military schools and academies; C-Level brigades are local units and represent
15853-747: The New Army. The central foci of the uprisings were mostly connected with the Tongmenghui and Sun Yat-sen, including subgroups. Some uprisings involved groups that never merged with the Tongmenghui. Sun Yat-sen may have participated in 8–10 uprisings; all uprisings failed before the Wuchang Uprising. In the spring of 1895, the Revive China Society , based in Hong Kong, planned the First Guangzhou Uprising [ zh ] . Lu Haodong
16044-486: The PRC had deteriorated since at least 2016 when her party came into power. The required four months of training, when it was in effect, was also criticized as being not enough to provide conscripts with military training. The ROC Armed Forces' officer corps is generally viewed as being competent, displaying a high degree of professionalism. However, as a whole, the culture in the officer corps tends to be very cautious and conservative. The military also faces difficulties in
16235-495: The PRC under a policy of " mutual non-denial ". Under Ma, Taiwan and China opened up direct flights and cargo shipments. The PRC government even made the atypical decision to not demand that Taiwan be barred from the annual World Health Assembly . Ma also made an official apology for the White Terror. However, closer economic ties with China raised concerns about its political consequences. In 2014, university students occupied
16426-406: The PRC. Until the 1970s, the ROC government was regarded by Western critics as undemocratic for upholding martial law, severely repressing any political opposition, and controlling the media. The KMT did not allow the creation of new parties and competitive democratic elections did not exist. From the late 1970s to the 1990s, Taiwan underwent political and social reforms that transformed it into
16617-538: The People's Liberation Army . As of 2021 the Army's Kinmen and Matsu island commands were outside of this structure, as was the Aviation and Special Forces Command . The Navy is responsible for maritime warfare and protecting the waters of Taiwan, including the offshore islands, as well as shipping lanes . The ROC Navy was built up after 1949 with U.S. assistance, receiving destroyers and frigates that were made or designed during World War II. Some of these were still in use at
16808-563: The People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland and the gradual loss of international recognition in the 1970s by the United Nations and many countries, including the ROC's close ally, the United States . Until the late 1970s, the military's primary mission was to prepare for an invasion of the Communist -controlled People's Republic of China (PRC) through efforts such as Project National Glory . The military's current primary mission
16999-524: The Political Warfare Department and several Deputy Chiefs of the General Staff, each of whom leads a section (J-1 personnel, J-2 intelligence, J-3 operations, J-4 logistics, and J-5 planning). The headquarters of each individual branch are subordinated to the General Staff. The following service commands are directly subordinate to the General Staff. The Coast Guard Administration was created in 2001 from related police and military units and
17190-489: The Qing administration into acculturated aborigines who had adopted Han culture and non-acculturated aborigines who had not. The Qing did little to administer or subjugate them. When Taiwan was annexed, there were 46 aboriginal villages under its control, likely inherited from the Kingdom of Tungning. During the early Qianlong period there were 93 acculturated villages and 61 non-acculturated villages that paid taxes. In response to
17381-402: The Qing government created some apparatus to allow the gentry and businessmen to participate in politics. These middle-class people were originally supporters of constitutionalism. However, they became disenchanted when the Qing government created a cabinet with Prince Qing as prime minister . By early 1911, an experimental cabinet had thirteen members, nine of whom were Manchus selected from
17572-504: The Qing government to re-establish the Han-led government. The earliest revolutionary organizations were founded outside of China, such as Yeung Ku-wan 's Furen Literary Society , created in Hong Kong in 1890. There were 15 members, including Tse Tsan-tai , who did political satire such as "The Situation in the Far East", one of the first manhua , and who later became one of the core founders of
17763-562: The Qing occurred at a relatively slow pace due to the absence of state-sponsored land deprivation for the majority of Qing rule. Following the Qing defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895), Taiwan, its associated islands, and the Penghu archipelago were ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki . Inhabitants wishing to remain Qing subjects had to move to mainland China within
17954-660: The ROC Air Force are the Air Combatant Command and the Air Defense and Missile Command, the latter having five brigades equipped with AA missile systems and several battalions of AA artillery. Its current fighters include the Dassault Mirage 2000 , Northrop F-5 , AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo , and the F-16 Fighting Falcon . Although the PLAAF has both technological and numerical superiority over the ROCAF, Taiwan has made efforts to improve its aircraft, including upgrading its F-16 fleet to
18145-734: The ROC ending the freeze of arms sales to the ROC. The plans include $ 2.5 billion worth of 30 AH-64D Block III Apache Longbow attack helicopters with night-vision sensors, radar, 174 Stinger Block I air-to-air missiles, 1,000 AGM-114L Hellfire missiles, PAC-3 missiles (330), four missile batteries, radar sets, ground stations and other equipment valued up to $ 3.1 billion. E-2T aircraft upgraded to E-2C Hawkeye 2000 standard were also included, worth up to $ 250 million. $ 200 million worth of submarine-launched Harpoon Block II missiles (32) would also be available for sale, $ 334 million worth of various aircraft spare parts and 182 Javelin missiles, with 20 Javelin command launchers. Taiwan Taiwan , officially
18336-432: The ROC military had a total strength of 260,000. In 2013 the ROC Armed Forces had over 240,000 active troops, which was reduced to 215,000 as of 2015, and then to 180,000 by 2023. The International Institute of Strategic Studies reported the active duty personnel of the military in 2023 as 169,000. President Tsai Ing-wen , who took office in 2016, has worked to strengthen the military, including by raising its budget, creating
18527-496: The ROC was in power in mainland China , its army was the National Revolutionary Army before being renamed as the Republic of China Armed Forces in 1947 due to the implementation of the Constitution of the Republic of China . It was also historically referred as the Chinese National Armed Forces ( CNAF ) prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China . The name continued to be used internationally by
18718-452: The ROC's military forces, has the largest number of personnel, but it has received the biggest reduction in size from the military reforms of the 1990s. Also part of the reform was changing Army divisions into smaller and more mobile combined arms brigades. In recent years, with the reduction of conscription, it has been reported that Army brigades may only have 60% to 80% of the soldiers they require. The Army has several hundred tanks, some from
18909-450: The ROC. Taiwan maintains official diplomatic relations with 11 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See . Many others maintain unofficial diplomatic ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates . International organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate on
19100-537: The Republic of China has become commonly known as "Taiwan", after the main island. To avoid confusion, the ROC government in Taiwan began to put "Taiwan" next to its official name in 2005. In ROC government publications, the name is written as "Republic of China (Taiwan)", "Republic of China/Taiwan", or sometimes "Taiwan (ROC)". "Taiwan Area" was defined to mean the island of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and other territory under ROC's effective control, in contrast to "Mainland Area" which refers to ROC territory outside
19291-544: The Republic of China registered the lowest growth in defense spending of the major Asia-Pacific powers. These cutbacks were felt as vital land based systems were cut in order to afford an upgrade of aging fourth generation jet fighters (needed to respond to the PRC's fifth generation fighter programs). And even the jet fighter upgrades were cut back in areas such as high performance jet engines. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission found that these defense cuts could jeopardize Taiwan's military preparedness. By 2008
19482-663: The Reserve System (後備系統), providing former volunteers for the Main Battle Troops and former conscripts for the Garrison Troops. Immigrants from the PRC have to reside in Taiwan for twenty years before they can volunteer for military service. They are exempt from conscription. Since 2021 training for reserve formations has been increased with an emphasis placed on urban and asymmetric warfare. The training period for reservists has been increased to two weeks from 5–7 days. In 2022 reserves numbered 2.31 million. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine increased support for and understanding from
19673-826: The South China Sea . The ROC also briefly retained control of the entirety of Hainan , parts of Zhejiang ( Chekiang )—specifically the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands —and portions of Tibet , Qinghai , Xinjiang and Yunnan . The Communists captured Hainan in 1950, captured the Dachen Islands and Yijiangshan Islands during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1955 and defeated the ROC revolts in Northwest China in 1958. ROC forces entered Burma and Thailand in
19864-555: The Taiwan Area and under Chinese Communist control. The Republic of China participates in most international forums and organizations under the name " Chinese Taipei " as a compromise with the People's Republic of China (PRC). For instance, it is the name under which it has participated in the Olympic Games as well as the APEC . "Taiwan authorities" is sometimes used by the PRC to refer to
20055-583: The Taiwan Strait undercut cross-Strait relations in 2002. He pushed for the first national referendum on cross-Strait relations, and called for an end to the National Unification Council . State-run companies began dropping "China" references in their names and including "Taiwan". In 2008, referendums asked whether Taiwan should join the UN. This act alienated moderate constituents who supported
20246-609: The Tongmenghui's establishment in Hubei. In July 1907, several members of Tongmenghui in Tokyo advocated a revolution in the area of the Yangtze . Liu Quiyi ( 劉揆一 ), Jiao Dafeng ( 焦達峰 ), Zhang Boxiang ( 張伯祥 ) and Sun Wu ( 孫武 ) established the Gongjinhui ( 共進會 ). In January 1911, the revolutionary group Zhengwu Xueshe (振武學社) was renamed as Wenxueshe (Literary Society) ( 文學社 ). Jiang Yiwu ( 蔣翊武 )
20437-547: The U.S. and some locally made, though all of them are many decades old. In 2015, the Army was organized into 3 army corps, 5 infantry brigades, 3 mechanized infantry brigades, 4 armored brigades, 3 aviation brigades, and 5 artillery brigades, with a total of 1,100 tanks and 1,600 artillery pieces. The number of infantry brigades was gradually reduced from 25 in 2005 to 5 by 2016 and the number of armored brigades from 5 to 4 in 2010, while artillery brigades were increased and army aviation brigades were established in 2015. Also in 2015,
20628-682: The Zhennanguan Uprising ( 鎮南關起事 ) took place at Zhennanguan along the Chinese-Vietnamese border. Sun Yat-sen sent Huang Mintang ( 黃明堂 ) to monitor the pass, which was guarded by a fort. With the assistance of supporters among the fort's defenders, the revolutionaries captured the cannon tower in Zhennanguan. Sun Yat-sen, Huang Xing and Hu Hanmin personally went to the tower to command the battle. The Qing government sent troops led by Long Jiguang and Lu Rongting to counterattack, and
20819-526: The anti-Manchu Tongmenghui revolutionary alliance. The Black Dragon Society hosted the Tongmenghui in its first meeting. The Black Dragon Society had very intimate, long term and influential relations with Sun Yat-sen who sometimes passed himself off as Japanese. According to an American military historian, Japanese military officers were part of the Black Dragon Society. The Yakuza and Black Dragon Society helped arrange in Tokyo for Sun Yat-sen to hold
21010-506: The area around Luoyi (present-day Luoyang ) during the Eastern Zhou and later to China's Central Plain , before being used as an occasional synonym for the state during the Qing era. The name of the republic had stemmed from the party manifesto of the Tongmenghui in 1905, which says the four goals of the Chinese revolution was "to expel the Manchu rulers, to revive Chunghwa , to establish
21201-480: The armed forces are estimated to have between 169,000 and 180,000 active personnel. The number of reservists is estimated at 1.657 million. Starting in 2024, Taiwanese male citizens are required to serve 12 months in the military. According to the December 2022 reform known as the "Strengthening All-People's Defense Military Force Restructuring Plan" (強化全民國防兵力結構調整方案), ROCAF personnel will be organized into four categories:
21392-578: The armed wing of the KMT to a modern national military. This was a challenge with change resisted by many officers. In January 2000, two defense laws were passed, the National Defense Law and the Ministry of National Defense Reorganization Law, which both took effect in March 2002. The laws created the basis for the civilian control and nationalization of the ROC military, by subordinating the General Staff to
21583-451: The army to disperse. Accordingly, this uprising also failed. British soldier Rowland J. Mulkern participated in this uprising. A very short uprising occurred from 25 to 28 January 1903, to establish a "Great Ming Heavenly Kingdom" ( 大明順天國 ). This involved Tse Tsan-tai , Li Jitang ( 李紀堂 ), Liang Muguang ( 梁慕光 ) and Hong Quanfu ( 洪全福 ), who formerly took part in the Jintian uprising during
21774-446: The beginning of China's early republican era . The Qing had struggled for a long time to reform the government and resist foreign aggression, but the program of reforms after 1900 was opposed by conservatives in the Qing court as too radical and by reformers as too slow. Several factions, including underground anti-Qing groups , revolutionaries in exile, reformers who wanted to save the monarchy by modernizing it, and activists across
21965-496: The capital. The Qing government generally tried to restrict migration to Taiwan throughout the duration of its administration because it believed that Taiwan could not sustain too large a population without leading to conflict. After the defeat of the Kingdom of Tungning, most of its population in Taiwan was sent back to the mainland, leaving the official population count at only 50,000, including 10,000 troops. Despite official restrictions, officials in Taiwan solicited settlers from
22156-677: The cities of Qinzhou and Lianzhou in Guangdong. The struggle continued for fourteen days but was forced to stop after the revolutionaries ran out of supplies. In April 1908, another uprising was launched in Yunnan , Hekou, called the Hekou Uprising ( 雲南河口起義 ). Huang Mingtang ( 黃明堂 ) led two hundred men from Vietnam and attacked Hekou on 30 April. Other participating revolutionaries included Wang Heshun ( 王和順 ) and Guan Renfu ( 關仁甫 ). They were outnumbered and defeated by government troops, however, and
22347-520: The colonization of the area but were ignored. The Qing took on a more active colonization policy after 1874 when Japan invaded Indigenous territory in southern Taiwan and the Qing government was forced to pay an indemnity for them to leave. The administration of Taiwan was expanded with new prefectures, sub-prefectures, and counties. Mountain roads were constructed to make inner Taiwan more accessible. Restrictions on entering Taiwan were ended in 1875 and agencies for recruiting settlers were established on
22538-460: The country debated how or whether to overthrow the Qing dynasty. The flash-point came on 10 October 1911, with the Wuchang Uprising , an armed rebellion among members of the New Army . Similar revolts then broke out spontaneously around the country, and revolutionaries in all provinces of the country renounced the Qing dynasty. On 1 November 1911, the Qing court appointed Yuan Shikai (leader of
22729-626: The country. Sun Yat-sen was the leader of this unified group. Other revolutionaries who worked with the Tongmenghui include Wang Jingwei and Hu Hanmin . When the Tongmenghui was established, more than 90% of the Tongmenghui members were between 17 and 26 years of age. Some of the work in the era includes manhua publications such as the Journal of Current Pictorial . In February 1906, Rizhihui ( 日知會 ) also had many revolutionaries, including Sun Wu ( 孫武 ), Zhang Nanxian ( 張難先 ), He Jiwei and Feng Mumin. A nucleus of attendees at this conference evolved into
22920-527: The development of textile, food, and other labor-intensive industries. As the Chinese Civil War continued, the government built up military fortifications throughout Taiwan. Veterans built the Central Cross-Island Highway through the Taroko Gorge in the 1950s. During the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958, Nike Hercules missiles were added to the formation of missile batteries throughout
23111-399: The eastern two-thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanized population is concentrated. The combined territories under ROC control consist of 168 islands in total covering 36,193 square kilometres (13,974 square miles). The largest metropolitan area is formed by Taipei (the capital), New Taipei City , and Keelung . With around 23.9 million inhabitants, Taiwan
23302-830: The eruption of the Korean War , US President Harry S. Truman dispatched the United States Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait to prevent hostilities between the ROC and the PRC. The United States also passed the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty and the Formosa Resolution of 1955 , granting substantial foreign aid to the KMT regime between 1951 and 1965. The US foreign aid stabilized prices in Taiwan by 1952. The KMT government instituted many laws and land reforms that it had never effectively enacted on mainland China. Economic development
23493-529: The event of a wartime mobilization. It also has the task of preparing the civilian industries of Taiwan to assist the military during a war, and being the coordinator of an all-out defense effort that involves the civilian population. As of 2023, the Reserve was estimated to have a total of 1,657,000 reservists by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, including 1.5 million in the Army, 67,000 in
23684-603: The event of national exigencies or a full-scale war. It also has a large pool of former conscripts , with every fit male citizen of the ROC having to serve a year when they reach the military age of 18. The Republic of China Armed Forces is the national military of the ROC . Commonly referred as the Taiwanese Armed Forces to distinguish from the People's Liberation Army . It is abbreviated as Kuo-Chün ( Chinese : 國軍 ; Hanyu Pinyin : Guójūn ; Tongyong Pinyin : Guójyūn , literally "National Army"). When
23875-515: The expropriation of businesses into government-operated monopolies, and the hyperinflation of 1945–1949. The shooting of a civilian on 28 February 1947 triggered island-wide unrest, which was suppressed with military force in what is now called the February 28 Incident . Mainstream estimates of the number killed range from 18,000 to 30,000. Chen was later replaced by Wei Tao-ming , who made an effort to undo previous mismanagement by re-appointing
24066-494: The first Kuomintang meetings, and were hoping to flood China with opium and overthrow the Qing and deceive the Chinese into overthrowing the Qing to Japan's benefit. After the revolution was successful, the Japanese Black Dragons started infiltrating China and spreading opium. The Black Dragons pushed for the takeover of Manchuria by Japan in 1932. Sun Yat-sen was married to a Japanese woman, Kaoru Otsuki . The New Army
24257-486: The flight of the ROC central government to Taiwan in 1949. The effective jurisdiction of the ROC has since been limited to Taiwan, Penghu , and smaller islands. The early 1960s saw rapid economic growth and industrialization called the " Taiwan Miracle ". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party state under martial law to a multi-party democracy , with democratically elected presidents beginning in 1996 . Taiwan's export-oriented economy
24448-514: The gold was used to pay soldiers' salaries, with some used to issue the New Taiwan dollar , part of a price stabilization program to slow inflation in Taiwan. After losing control of mainland China in 1949, the ROC retained control of Taiwan and Penghu ( Taiwan, ROC ), parts of Fujian ( Fujian, ROC )—specifically Kinmen, Wuqiu (now part of Kinmen) and the Matsu Islands and two major islands in
24639-559: The government in Taiwan. Taiwan was joined to the Asian mainland in the Late Pleistocene , until sea levels rose about 10,000 years ago. Human remains and Paleolithic artifacts dated 20,000 to 30,000 years ago have been found. Study of the human remains suggested they were Australo-Papuan people similar to Negrito populations in the Philippines. Paleolithic Taiwanese likely settled
24830-530: The governors-general of Hunan and Hubei. About twenty conspirators were arrested and executed. On 8 October 1900, Sun Yat-sen ordered the launch of the Huizhou Uprising ( 惠州起義 ). The revolutionary army was led by Zheng Shiliang and initially included 20,000 men, who fought for half a month. However, after Japanese prime minister Hirobumi Ito prohibited Sun Yat-sen from carrying out revolutionary activities on Taiwan, Zheng Shiliang had no choice but to order
25021-439: The ideals of the Revolution and the Kuomintang Party. A Political Department was established in the Army, training political officers to maintain the Kuomintang's ideological and civilian control. The National Revolutionary Army fought in the Northern Expedition from 1926 to 1928 to reunite China under one government for the first time in two decades. It fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945, and then against
25212-522: The imperial family. Besides Chinese and overseas Chinese, some supporters and participants of the 1911 Revolution were foreigners; among them, the Japanese were the most active group. Some Japanese even became members of Tongmenghui. Miyazaki Touten was the closest Japanese supporter; others included Heiyama Shu and Ryōhei Uchida . Homer Lea , an American, who became Sun Yat-sen's closest foreign advisor in 1910, supported Sun Yat-sen's military ambitions. British soldier Rowland J. Mulkern also took part in
25403-412: The initial fighting and some 14,000 died in the first year of Japanese rule. Another 12,000 "bandit-rebels" were killed from 1898 to 1902. Subsequent rebellions against the Japanese (the Beipu uprising of 1907, the Tapani incident of 1915, and the Musha incident of 1930) were unsuccessful but demonstrated opposition to Japanese rule. The colonial period was instrumental to the industrialization of
25594-416: The island's most important trading center and served as its capital until 1887. Use of the current Chinese name ( 臺灣 / 台灣 ) became official as early as 1684 during the Qing dynasty with the establishment of Taiwan Prefecture centered in modern-day Tainan . Through its rapid development the entire Taiwanese mainland eventually became known as "Taiwan". The official name of the country in English
25785-411: The island's strategic emphasis to offshore engagement of invading PRC forces. It is hoped that this will serve to reduce civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in the event of armed conflict. The ROC's armed forces are equipped with weapons obtained primarily from the United States , France , United Kingdom and the Netherlands . In July 2007 it was reported that the ROC Army would request
25976-434: The island, with its expansion of railways and other transport networks, the building of an extensive sanitation system, the establishment of a formal education system , and an end to the practice of headhunting . The resources of Taiwan were used to aid the development of Japan. The production of cash crops such as sugar greatly increased, and large areas were therefore diverted from the production of rice. By 1939, Taiwan
26167-420: The island. During the 1960s and 1970s, the ROC maintained an authoritarian, single-party government under the Kuomintang's Dang Guo system while its economy became industrialized and technology-oriented. This rapid economic growth, known as the Taiwan Miracle , occurred following a strategy of prioritizing agriculture, light industries, and heavy industries, in that order. Export-oriented industrialization
26358-444: The largest category in the reserves, and D-Level brigades would be drawn from reserve officer training courses operated by Reserve Command. Army A-Level and B-level brigades along with Marine reserve units would have a front line role similar to regular forces, while the other Army reserves would be used for static defense of important locations. Navy and Air Force reservists would have a supporting role at naval or air bases. As of 2023
26549-427: The late 1980s, when more emphasis was placed on the Navy and Air Force. In July 1997, the Armed Forces streamlining program was started, reducing the total number of troops and reorganizing Army divisions into more mobile combined arms brigades. In the late 1980s, the Army had 270,000 personnel, out of a total military of over 500,000. The Army received the biggest reduction in size as part of the military reform. By 2003,
26740-402: The main island of Taiwan. After Chiang Ching-kuo's death in 1988, Lee Teng-hui became the first president of the ROC born in Taiwan. Lee's administration oversaw a period of democratization in which the Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion were abolished and the Additional Articles of the Constitution were introduced. Congressional representation was allocated to only
26931-406: The mainland, but efforts to promote settlement ended soon after. In 1884, Keelung in northern Taiwan was occupied during the Sino-French War but the French forces failed to advance any further inland while their victory at Penghu in 1885 resulted in disease and retreat soon afterward as the war ended. Colonization efforts were renewed under Liu Mingchuan . In 1887, Taiwan's status was upgraded to
27122-612: The mainland, causing tens of thousands of annual arrivals by 1711. A permit system was officially recorded in 1712, but it likely existed as early as 1684; its restrictions included only allowing those to enter who had property on the mainland, family in Taiwan, and who were not accompanied by wives or children. Many of the male migrants married local Indigenous women. Over the 18th century, restrictions were relaxed. In 1732, families were allowed to move to Taiwan. By 1811, there were more than two million Han settlers in Taiwan, and profitable sugar and rice production industries provided exports to
27313-453: The mainland. In 1875, restrictions on entering Taiwan were repealed. Three counties nominally covered the entire western plains, but actual control was restricted to a smaller area. A government permit was required for settlers to go beyond the Dajia River . Qing administration expanded across the western plains area over the 18th century due to continued illegal crossings and settlement. The Taiwanese Indigenous peoples were categorized by
27504-474: The most advanced variant, the Block 70 Viper (F-16V). The Military Police are tasked with enforcing military discipline, supporting the civilian police, providing security for government officials and buildings, counterterrorism, and defending the capital of Taipei. The ROCMP is organized into four regional commands (including one for Taipei) which consist of several battalions and other units. In 2023 there were 5,000 MPs. The Military Police Command plans to double
27695-441: The much larger People's Liberation Army Navy by locally building smaller and stealthier craft, such as fast missile boats, corvettes, and submarines, though its destroyers and frigates remain the main component of the fleet. The size of the ROCN has not changed significantly between 2005 and 2023, except for the decommissioning of two destroyers and the addition of 12 corvettes. As of 2023 the Navy also had 40,000 personnel. In 2015
27886-455: The new armies. The famine in 1906 and 1907 was also a major contributor to the revolution. Following the death of the Guangxu Emperor and Cixi in 1908, the throne was inherited by the two-year-old Xuantong Emperor , with Prince Chun as a regent. The Prince continued the reform path of Cixi, but conservative Manchu elements in the court opposed it, causing further support for revolutionaries. Many revolutionaries and groups wanted to overthrow
28077-412: The number "6348". In 1900, after the Boxer Rebellion started, Tang Caichang ( 唐才常 ) and Tan Sitong of the previous Foot Emancipation Society organized the Independence Army. The Independence Army Uprising ( 自立軍起義 ) was planned to occur on 23 August 1900. Their goal was to overthrow Empress Dowager Cixi to establish a constitutional monarchy under the Guangxu Emperor. Their plot was discovered by
28268-554: The officer commissioning academies of each service branch. Women have a long history of service in Taiwan's armed forces but were exempted from conscription. In 2022 Chen Yu-lin, a political warfare officer, became the first woman promoted to the rank of two star Lieutenant General. In 2023 15% of active duty military personnel were women. Acquisitions over the next several years will emphasize modern ISR equipment that will vastly improve communications and data-sharing among services. These and other planned acquisitions will gradually shift
28459-461: The ones organized by Sun and supported Japanese taking over Manchuria. The anti-Qing Tongmenghui was founded and based in exile in Japan where many anti-Qing revolutionaries gathered. The Japanese had been trying to unite anti-Manchu groups made out of Han people to take down the Qing. The Japanese were the ones who helped Sun Yat-sen unite all anti-Qing, anti-Manchu revolutionary groups together, and there were Japanese like Tōten Miyazaki inside of
28650-425: The opportunity, capturing several towns. They defeated the Qing army once again in Bazhiyie. Many organizations voiced their support after the uprising, and the number of revolutionary forces increased to two hundred men at its height. The uprising, however, ultimately failed. On 6 July 1907, Xu Xilin of Guangfuhui led an uprising in Anqing , Anhui, which became known as the Anqing Uprising ( 安慶起義) . Xu Xilin at
28841-480: The overthrown Ming, but ruled independently. However, Zheng Jing 's return to China to participate in the Revolt of the Three Feudatories paved the way for the Qing invasion and occupation of Taiwan in 1683. Following the defeat of Koxinga 's grandson by an armada led by Admiral Shi Lang in 1683, the Qing dynasty formally annexed Taiwan in May 1684, making it a prefecture of Fujian province while retaining its administrative seat (now Tainan) under Koxinga as
29032-420: The post-1987 military reforms was integrating the military into a democratic political system: before 2000 Taiwan's defense policy was controlled by generals, and since then it has been set by the lawmakers. The military has also been included in the truth and reconciliation process which followed the transition from dictatorship to democracy. In the 21st century as the PRC vastly increased its defense spending,
29223-448: The protest was rapidly crushed by the authorities, it is considered as the main event that united Taiwan's opposition. In 1984, Chiang Ching-kuo selected Lee Teng-hui as his vice-president. After the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was (illegally) founded as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT in 1986, Chiang announced that he would allow the formation of new parties. On 15 July 1987, Chiang lifted martial law on
29414-434: The public of the effectiveness of well trained and equipped reserves. In 2022 women were included in reserve training. Following the Russian invasion the Ministry of Defense raised the required national stockpile minimum for medication from two months to six months with a up to a years worth of stockpiles mandated for critical drugs. The military runs combat training camps for high school students during school breaks. During
29605-533: The purchase of 30 AH-64D II Apache attack helicopters based on the 2008 defense budget. The United Daily News reported that as many as 90 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters would also be ordered to replace the UH-1Hs then in service. During August, the ROC requested 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles , two Harpoon guidance control units, 30 Harpoon containers, 30 Harpoon extended air-launch lugs, 50 Harpoon upgrade kits from AGM-84G to AGM-84L configuration and other related elements of logistics and program support, to
29796-409: The recruitment and retention of junior officers and NCOs due to competition with the private sector. Officers are promoted monthly with ceremonial conferences of rank carried out twice a year. Previously both the promotions and ceremonial conferences had been carried out simultaneously on a biannual cycle. The Republic of China Military Academy , the Naval Academy , and the Air Force Academy are
29987-407: The revolution. Some foreigners, such as English explorer Arthur de Carle Sowerby , led expeditions to rescue foreign missionaries in 1911 and 1912. The far right-wing Japanese ultra-nationalist Black Dragon Society supported Sun Yat-sen's activities against the Manchus, believing that overthrowing the Qing would help the Japanese take over the Manchu homeland and that Han Chinese would not oppose
30178-404: The revolutionaries were forced to retreat into the mountainous areas. After this uprising's failure, Sun was forced to move to Singapore due to anti-Sun sentiments within the revolutionary groups. He would not return to the mainland until after the Wuchang Uprising. On 27 March 1908, Huang Xing launched a raid, later known as the Qin-lian Uprising ( 欽廉上思起義 ), from a base in Vietnam and attacked
30369-455: The ruling Democratic Progressive Party won Taiwan's presidential elections . However, no party won a majority in the simultaneous Taiwan's legislative election for the first time since 2004, meaning 51 seats for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 52 seats for the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) secured eight seats. 1911 Revolution [REDACTED] Qing dynasty The 1911 Revolution , also known as
30560-400: The same year, Japan and the ROC signed a peace treaty . While initially enthusiastic about the return of Chinese administration and the Three Principles of the People , Formosans grew increasingly dissatisfied about being excluded from higher positions, the postponement of local elections even after the enactment of a constitution on the mainland, the smuggling of valuables off the island,
30751-426: The same year, Sun Yat-sen sent more revolutionaries to Huizhou to launch the "Huizhou Qinühu Uprising" ( 惠州七女湖起義 ). On 2 June, Deng Zhiyu ( 鄧子瑜 ) and Chen Chuan ( 陳純 ) gathered some followers, and together they seized Qing arms in the lake, 20 km (12 mi) from Huizhou. They killed several Qing soldiers and attacked Taiwei ( 泰尾 ) on 5 June. The Qing army fled in disorder, and the revolutionaries exploited
30942-566: The size of its current force in the future to increase security in the capital city. The Reserve Command manages the Armed Forces Reserve, and has a headquarters staff of 400. There are three regional reserve commands that each oversee a reserve training center and offices at the county and municipal levels (Northern, Central, and Southern Area Reserve Commands). The Command is responsible for maintaining mobilization plans and training reserve units during peace time, consisting of five to seven days of drill every two years, and more extensive training in
31133-418: The southern coast of Taiwan, mostly for seasonal fishing but also subsistence farming and trading, by the early 17th century. In 1603, Chen Di visited Taiwan on an anti- wokou expedition and recorded an account of the Taiwanese Indigenous people. In 1591, Japan sent envoys to deliver a letter requesting tribute relations with Taiwan. They found no leader to deliver the letter to and returned home. In 1609,
31324-418: The start of the 1990s, when Taiwan started buying modern ships. In that decade Taiwan acquired French La Fayette frigates , Dutch Zwaardvis submarines , and German minehunters, which are still in service as of 2023. It also received Kidd -class destroyers and Oliver Hazard Perry frigates from the United States. Since the 2000s, the ROCN has tried to improve its asymmetric warfare capability to counter
31515-431: The status quo, as well as those with cross-strait economic ties. It also created tension with the mainland and disagreements with the United States. Chen's administration was also dogged by public concerns over reduced economic growth, legislative gridlock, and corruption investigations . The KMT's nominee Ma Ying-jeou won the 2008 presidential election on a platform of increased economic growth and better ties with
31706-401: The suppression of traditional Taiwanese beliefs. Starting from 1940, families were also required to adopt Japanese surnames , although only 2% had done so by 1943. By 1938, 309,000 Japanese were residing in Taiwan. During the Second World War, the island was developed into a naval and air base while its agriculture, industry, and commerce suffered. Air attacks and the subsequent invasion of
31897-535: The takeover. Toyama believed that the Japanese could easily take over Manchuria and that Sun Yat-sen and other anti-Qing revolutionaries would not resist and help the Japanese take over and enlarge the opium trade in China, while the Qing was trying to destroy the opium trade. The Japanese Black Dragons supported Sun Yat-sen and anti-Manchu revolutionaries until the Qing collapsed. The far right-wing Japanese ultranationalist Gen'yōsha leader Tōyama Mitsuru supported anti-Manchu, anti-Qing revolutionary activities including
32088-402: The time was the police commissioner as well as the supervisor of the police academy. He led an uprising that aimed to assassinate the provincial governor of Anhui, En Ming ( 恩銘 ). They were defeated after four hours of fighting. Xu was captured, and En Ming's bodyguards cut out his heart and liver and ate them. His cousin Qiu Jin was executed a few days later. From August to September 1907,
32279-447: The transformation of Kaohsiung into a special municipality on par with Taipei. In the 1970s, Taiwan became the second fastest growing economy in Asia. Real growth in GDP averaged over 10 percent. In 1978, the combination of tax incentives and a cheap, well-trained labor force attracted investments of over $ 1.9 billion from overseas Chinese , the United States, and Japan. By 1980, foreign trade reached $ 39 billion per year and generated
32470-410: The uprising failed. On 19 November 1908, the Mapaoying Uprising ( 馬炮營起義 ) was launched by revolutionary group Yuewanghui ( 岳王會 ) member Xiong Chenggei ( 熊成基) in Anhui . Yuewanghui, at this time, was a subset of Tongmenghui . This uprising also failed. In February 1910, the Gengxu New Army Uprising ( 庚戌新軍起義 ), also known as the Guangzhou New Army Uprising ( 廣州新軍起義 ), took place. This involved
32661-434: Was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. The Republic of China , which had overthrown the Qing in 1912 under the leadership of Sun Yat-sen , took control following the surrender of Japan in 1945. The immediate resumption of the Chinese Civil War resulted in the loss of the Chinese mainland to Communist forces , who established the People's Republic of China and
32852-428: Was "Take one province by force, and inspire the other provinces to rise". The Guangfuhui (Restoration Society) was also founded in 1904, in Shanghai, by Cai Yuanpei . Other notable members include Zhang Binglin and Tao Chengzhang. Despite professing the anti-Qing cause, the Guangfuhui was highly critical of Sun Yat-sen. One of the most famous female revolutionaries was Qiu Jin , who fought for women's rights and
33043-462: Was "to expel the Tatar barbarians, to revive Zhonghua , to establish a Republic, and to distribute land equally among the people." ( 驅除韃虜, 恢復中華, 創立民國, 平均地權 ). Many underground groups promoted the ideas of "Resist Qing and restore Ming" (反清復明) that had been around since the days of the Taiping Rebellion . Others, such as Zhang Binglin , spread calls to "slay the Manchus" ( 興漢滅胡 ) and the concept of "Anti-Manchuism" ( 排滿主義 ). Many groups supported
33234-460: Was a failure. Under pressure from the Qing government, the government of Hong Kong banned the two men from the territory for five years. Sun Yat-sen went into exile, promoting the Chinese revolution and raising funds in Japan, the United States, Canada, and Britain. In 1901, following the Huizhou Uprising, Yeung Ku-wan was assassinated by Qing agents in Hong Kong. After his death, his family protected his identity by not putting his name on his tomb, just
33425-433: Was abruptly canceled by a conservative coup led by Empress Dowager Cixi . The Emperor was put under house arrest in June 1898, where he remained until his death in 1908. Reformers Kang and Liang exiled themselves to avoid being executed. The Empress Dowager controlled policy until her death in 1908, with support from officials such as Yuan. Attacks on foreigners and Chinese Christians in the Boxer Rebellion , encouraged by
33616-434: Was achieved by tax rebate for exports, removal of import restriction, moving from multiple exchange rate to single exchange rate system, and depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar. Infrastructure projects such as the Sun Yat-sen Freeway , Taoyuan International Airport , Taichung Harbor , and Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant were launched, while the rise of steel, petrochemical, and shipbuilding industries in southern Taiwan saw
33807-421: Was also adopted into the Chinese vernacular as the name of the sandbar and nearby area (Tainan). The modern word "Taiwan" is derived from this usage, which is written in different transliterations ( 大員 ， 大圓 ， 大灣 ， 臺員 ， 臺圓 or 臺窩灣 ) in Chinese historical records. The area occupied by modern-day Tainan was the first permanent settlement by both European colonists and Chinese immigrants. The settlement grew to be
33998-527: Was also from Guangfuhui. Gelaohui (Elder Brother Society) was another group, with Zhu De , Wu Yuzhang , Liu Zhidan ( 劉志丹 ) and He Long . This revolutionary group would eventually develop a strong link with the later Communist Party . Sun Yat-sen successfully united the Revive China Society, Huaxinghui and Guangfuhui in the summer of 1905, thereby establishing the unified Tongmenghui (United League) in August 1905 in Tokyo. While it started in Tokyo, it had loose organizations distributed across and outside
34189-519: Was attached to Jinjiang . The Yuan dynasty officially incorporated Penghu under the jurisdiction of Tong'an County in 1281. Penghu was evacuated in the 15th century by the Ming dynasty as part of their maritime ban , which lasted until the late 16th century. In 1349, Wang Dayuan provided the first written account of a visit to Taiwan. By the 1590s, a small number of Chinese from Fujian had started cultivating land in southwestern Taiwan. Some 1,500-2,000 Chinese lived or stayed temporarily on
34380-527: Was chosen as the leader. These two organizations would play a big role in the Wuchang Uprising. Many young revolutionaries adopted the anarchist program . In Tokyo, Liu Shipei proposed to overthrow the Manchus and return to Chinese classical values. In Paris, well-connected young intellectuals, Li Shizhen, Wu Zhihui and Zhang Renjie , agreed with Sun's revolutionary program and joined the Tongmenghui, but argued that simply replacing one government with another would not be progress; fundamental cultural change,
34571-496: Was done previously. Those born prior to 1 January 1994 and were yet to complete their military service were given an option to serve in a non-combatant role for a duration of one year. During the 2010s, when conscription was reduced to four months of training, the military struggled to meet its recruitment targets, especially for combat roles. This policy was reversed in 2022, when president Tsai Ing-wen announced that conscription will revert back to 1 year from 2024, as relations with
34762-509: Was encouraged by American aid and programs such as the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction , which turned the agricultural sector into the basis for later growth. Under the combined stimulus of the land reform and the agricultural development programs, agricultural production increased at an average annual rate of 4 percent from 1952 to 1959. The government also implemented a policy of import substitution industrialization , attempting to produce imported goods domestically. The policy promoted
34953-411: Was formed in 1901 after the defeat of the Qing in the First Sino-Japanese War . They were launched by a decree from eight provinces. New Army troops were by far the best trained and equipped. Recruits were of a higher quality than the old army and received regular promotions. Beginning in 1908, the revolutionaries began to shift their call to the new armies. Sun Yat-sen and the revolutionaries infiltrated
35144-407: Was interpreted by some military analysts as reducing the control of the Army over the military command structure and putting a greater focus on joint operations among the three branches. Although they are led by Army generals, in the future Navy and Air Force officers will be appointed as theater commanders. The new commands are comparable to U.S. unified combatant commands or the theater commands of
35335-431: Was one of the 72. On the eve of battle, he wrote "A Letter to My Wife" ( 與妻訣別書 ), later to be considered a masterpiece in Chinese literature. The Literary Society ( 文學社 ) and the Progressive Association ( 共進會 ) were revolutionary organizations involved in the uprising that mainly began with a Railway Protection Movement protest. In the late summer, some Hubei New Army units were ordered to neighboring Sichuan to quell
35526-406: Was settled by farmers of the Dapenkeng culture , most likely from what is now southeast China. These cultures are the ancestors of modern Taiwanese Indigenous peoples and the originators of the Austronesian language family . Trade with the Philippines persisted from the early 2nd millennium BCE, including the use of Taiwanese jade in the Philippine jade culture . The Dapenkeng culture
35717-555: Was succeeded by a variety of cultures throughout the island, including the Tahu and Yingpu ; the Yuanshan were characterized by rice harvesting. Iron appeared in such cultures as the Niaosung culture , influenced by trade with China and Maritime Southeast Asia . The Plains Indigenous peoples mainly lived in permanent walled villages, with a lifestyle based on agriculture , fishing , and hunting . They had traditionally matriarchal societies . The Penghu Islands were inhabited by Han Chinese fishermen by 1171, and in 1225 Penghu
35908-424: Was tasked with designing the revolutionaries' Blue Sky with a White Sun flag. On 26 October 1895, Yeung Ku-wan and Sun Yat-sen led Zheng Shiliang and Lu Haodong to Guangzhou, preparing to capture Guangzhou in one strike. However, the details of their plans were leaked to the Qing government. The government began to arrest revolutionaries, including Lu Haodong, who was later executed. The First Guangzhou Uprising
36099-411: Was the leader of the first Chinese Church of Christ. Overseas Chinese supported and actively participated in funding revolutionary activities, especially the Southeast Asian Chinese of British Malaya . Many of these groups were reorganized by Sun, who was referred to as the "father of the Chinese revolution". The Qing government established new schools and encouraged students to study abroad as part of
36290-416: Was the seventh-greatest sugar producer in the world. The Han and Indigenous populations were classified as second- and third-class citizens, and many prestigious government and business positions were closed to them. After suppressing Han guerrillas in the first decade of their rule, Japanese authorities engaged in bloody campaigns against the Indigenous people residing in mountainous regions, culminating in
36481-405: Was unable to officially register the land. In the early 1800s, local officials convinced the emperor to officially incorporate the area by playing up the issue of piracy if the land was left alone. In 1814, some settlers attempted to colonize central Taiwan by fabricating rights to lease aboriginal land. They were evicted by government troops two years later. Local officials continued to advocate for
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