Taiwan Province

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Taiwan Province 臺灣省 Taiwan Province of the Republic of China (in dark grey). The Tiaoyutai Islands to the northeast of the main island of Taiwan, claimed by the ROC as part of Ilan County are too small to be shown. Capital Jhongsing Village Official languages Standard Mandarin Area 35,581 km² (1st) Population (Feb 2006) - Density 18,576,518 (1st) 522/km² Ethnic groups Han Chinese - 97.5% Other - 2.5% County-level divisions 16 Township-level divisions 287 Currency New Taiwan dollar (NT$) Currency code TWD GDP (PPP) NT$ to be added billion

This article is about Taiwan Province, an administrative province which is currently under the admistration of the Republic of China (Taiwan). For the claimed province of the People's Republic of China, see Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China.

Taiwan Province (traditional Chinese: 臺灣省 or 台灣省; simplified Chinese: 台湾省) is one of the two administrative divisions referred to as provinces and governed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) (ROC). The province covers most of the current territory administered by the Republic of China. Geographically it covers the majority of the island of Taiwan as well as all the smaller islands surrounding it, the largest of which are the Pescadores, the Green Island and the Orchid Island.

Taiwan Province excludes the Kinmen and Lienchiang counties, which are administered as Fujian province, and the centrally administered municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, both of which located geographically within the island of Taiwan. Since 1998, the Taiwan Provincial Government has been streamlined, with most of its functions transferred to the Executive Yuan.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) in China mainland regards itself as the "successor state" of the Republic of China (ROC), which it claims no longer legitimately exists. The PRC further claims that as such, the PRC has sovereignty over all of China which it claims the island of Taiwan is a part of. This sovereignty claim is rejected by the ROC. See also Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China and political status of Taiwan.

[edit] History

In 1683, following a naval engagement with Admiral Shi Lang, Koxinga's (Cheng Ch'eng Kung) grandson Zheng Keshuang and ruler of Taiwan submitted to the Qing Dynasty (Ch'ing Dynasty). Then the Qing Dynasty ruled Taiwan (including the Pescadores) as a prefecture of Fujian Province. In 1875, Taipei Prefecture was separated from the original prefecture. In 1887, Taiwan was made a separate province.

In 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan. Under Japanese rule, the province was abolished in favour of Japanese-style divisions. After Japan surrendered in 1945, the Allied Powers assigned administration of Taiwan to the Republic of China (ROC).

The ROC government did not immediately make Taiwan into a province, but put it under military occupation under Chief Executive Chen Yi. Chen was extremely unpopular and his rule led to an uprising - the 228 incident. Chen was recalled in May of 1947 and the government-general was abolished. To assure the residents of Taiwan that they would be treated equally as other people in other parts of the country, the Taiwan Provincial Government was established^[1].

When the Kuomintang government was relocated to Taipei in 1949, the provincial administration remained in place under the theory that the ROC was still the government of all of China even though the opposition argued that it overlapped inefficiently with the national government. As such, Taiwan is considered to be one of the provinces under the Republic of China. Today, one of its legacies is Taiwanese today often say "all-province" in place of where many English speakers might use "national" or "country-wide".

The building of the Provincial Government of the Taiwan Province at Chunghsing Village

The seat of the provincial government was moved from Taipei to Chunghsing Village (Jhongsing Village) in 1956. In 1967 and 1979 respectively, the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung were separated from the province and turned into centrally-administered municipalities.

Until 1992, the governor of Taiwan province was appointed by the ROC central government. The office was often a stepping stone to higher office.

In 1992, the post of the governor of the province was opened to election. The then-opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) agreed to retain the province with an elected governor in the hopes of creating a "Yeltsin effect" in which a popular local leader could overwhelm the national government. These hopes proved unfulfilled as then-Kuomintang member James Soong was elected governor of Taiwan by a wide margin defeating the DPP candidate Chen Ding-nan.

In 1997, as the result of an agreement between the KMT and the DPP, the administration of the province was streamlined in curtailed constitutional changes. For example, the post of provincial governor and the provincial assembly were both abolished and replaced with a nine-member special council. Although the stated purpose was administrative efficiency, Soong and his supporters claim that it was actually intended to destroy James Soong's power base and eliminate him from political life, though it did not have this effect. In addition, the provincial legislature was abolished while the Legislative Yuan was expanded to include some of the former provincial legislators.

Prior to January 1, 2007 all vehicles registered in Taiwan Province carried the label "Taiwan Province" (台灣省) on their license plates.

The provincial administration has been greatly streamlined in 1998, leaving counties and provincial cities the primary divisions in Taiwan Province. In contrast to the past where the head of Taiwan province was considered a major official, the Governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government after 1999 has been considered a very minor position.

In 2006, after the cabinet of Premier Frank Hsieh, including Governor Lin Kuang-hua, resigned, effective January 25, the new premier Su Tseng-chang announced that he would not appoint a new governor for Taiwan Province, and will further seek to formally abolish the provincial government. The Pan-Blue Coalition was expected to oppose the measure.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Government

Since the streamlining of the Taiwan Provincial Government in 1998, the government has been headed by a provincial council of nine members, led by the provincial governor. The members of the Provincial Council are all appointed by the President of the Republic of China. The major operations of the provincial government, such as managing provincial highways and the Bank of Taiwan, have been transferred to the Executive Yuan.

[edit] Divisions

Main article: Political divisions of the Republic of China

Taiwan Province is divided into 16 counties (縣; hsien) and 5 provincial cities (市; shih):

[edit] Counties

[edit] Provincial municipalities

Note: The cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung are administered directly by the central government and are not part of Taiwan province, though the counties of the same name surrounding these cities are part of the province. The PRC, which does not administer Taiwan Province, does not recognize Taipei and Kaohsiung as central municipalities and lists them as provincial municipalities.

The Senkaku Islands, which is currently administered by Japan is disputed by both the ROC and PRC which claims them as Tiaoyutai/Diaoyutai Islands. The ROC government claims them as part of Toucheng Township, Yilan County.

[edit] Administrative history

Decisions by the Executive Yuan since 1945:

• December 25, 1945:
  • 8 counties of Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Hualien, Taitung, and Penghu
  • 9 provincial cities: Taipei, Keelung, Hsinchu, Taichung, Changhua, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pintung.
  • 2 county-controlled cities: Hualien and Yilan
• August 16, 1950:
  • 16 counties: all existing ones
  • 8 provincial cities: reduced Chiayi a county-controlled city
• December 1, 1951: 5 provincial cities: reduced Hsinchu, Changhua, and Pintung to county-controlled cities
• 1967: Taipei became the first Taiwanese municipality
• November 11, 1967: All county seats (originally towns) upgraded to county-controlled cities.
• 1979: Kaohsiung became the second Taiwanese municipality
• July 1, 1982: 2 new provincial cities: Hsinchu and Chiayi (approved on April 23, 1981)

[edit] List of Governors

[edit] Chief Executive

The position of Chief Executive (traditional Chinese: 行政長官; Hanyu Pinyin: xíngzhèng zhǎngguān; Tongyong Pinyin: síngjhèng jhǎngguan) was temporarily part of the Executive Yuan, the position was legalized in Taiwan Province Administrative Official Public Ministry Organization Statute (臺灣省行政長官公署組織條例 Táiwān-shěng xíngzhèng zhǎngguān gōngshǔ zǔzhī tiáolì) of September 20, 1945.

[edit] Chairman of the Provincial Government

Governors (traditional Chinese: 省主席; Hanyu Pinyin: shěngzhǔxí; Tongyong Pinyin: shěngjhǔsí, "provincial chairperson"):

[edit] Governor

Governor of the Province(traditional Chinese: 省長; Hanyu Pinyin: shěngzhǎng; Tongyong Pinyin: shěngjhǎng). The title "Governor" was first legally used in the Self-Governance Law for Provinces and Counties (省縣自治法) of July 29, 1994.

[edit] Chairman of the Provincial Government

Since the streamlining of the Taiwan Provincial Government in 1998, the government has been headed by a provincial council of nine members, led by the provincial governor. The members of the Provincial Council are all appointed by the president of the Republic of China. The major operations of the provincial government, such as managing provincial highways and the Bank of Taiwan, have been transferred to the Executive Yuan.

[edit] See also

ROC Portal

Taiwan Portal

• Fujian Province, Republic of China
• Politics of the Republic of China
• Political status of Taiwan
• Legal status of Taiwan
• Chinese Taipei
• Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China

[edit] Further reading

• Bush, R. & O'Hanlon, M. (2007). A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America. Wiley. ISBN 0471986771
• Bush, R. (2006). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0815712901
• Carpenter, T. (2006). America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1403968411
• Cole, B. (2006). Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 0415365813
• Copper, J. (2006). Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 0275988880
• Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning
• Gill, B. (2007). Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0815731469
• Shirk, S. (2007). China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195306090
• Tsang, S. (2006). If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics. Routledge. ISBN 0415407850
• Tucker, N.B. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231135645

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Taiwan Provincial Government official site
• Local government structures by the Department of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Interior, ROC

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Taiwan

v • d • e  Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Provinces and counties Taiwan Province Taipei · Taoyuan · Hsinchu · Miaoli · Taichung · Changhua · Nantou · Yunlin · Chiayi · Tainan · Kaohsiung · Pingtung · Yilan · Hualien · Taitung · Penghu (Pescadores) Fujian Province Kinmen · Lienchiang (Matsu Islands) Provincial cities Keelung · Hsinchu · Taichung · Chiayi · Tainan Central municipalities Taipei City · Kaohsiung City Free Area of the Republic of China