A Brief Introduction of Taiwan

Nov. 11, 2007

Mr. Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters, and honored guests:

I sometimes met people who don’t know the country called Taiwan or are confused by the Republic of China versus the People’s Republic of China. Since I came from Taiwan, I have a strong desire to introduce Taiwan, i.e. the Republic of China, to as many people as I can.

Taiwan is an island about 2 hour’s fly-time from Japan. A direct flight from Seattle to Taiwan takes about 13 hours. A 125-mile Taiwan Strait separates Taiwan from China. It is a little larger than Belgium and a little smaller than the Netherlands. Its population is approximately twice that of the Netherlands.

In the late 15th and early 16th century Portuguese da Gama discovered the route to the Orient. When the Portuguese first saw Taiwan, their 1st reaction was “Formosa!” meaning “Beautiful”. Indeed it’s a beautiful island—55% of the island is forest.

Shortly after the Portuguese came the Dutch. They occupied Taiwan for 37 yeas and recruited Chinese labors to develop the land. My ancestors came to Taiwan at the end of the Dutch occupation; that’s about the time Galileo was put in jail because he said something the Church didn’t like. For the next 2 hundred years or so, Chinese immigrants continued to come. They came for a piece of land they could own. Like the early European immigrants in the New World, they only had their bare hands and a strong desire to build a better life for their children. These people and their descendants are called the “Native Taiwanese”; they constitute about 86% of today’s Taiwanese population.

In 1885, the year when the Washington Monument was dedicated in Washington D.C., the Chinese Empire took in Taiwan as a province.

Ten years later, in 1895, the year Babe Ruth was born, Chinese Empire lost a war to Japan and ceded Taiwan to Japan. Taiwanese would be Japanese Emperor’s subjects for 50 years until the end of WWII.

In 1912, the Chinese Empire was crushed by revolution and replaced by the first republic in Asia. This republic is called the Republic of China (ROC), which is the official name of Taiwan. This was the year New Mexico and Arizona became the 47th and the 48th states of the Union.

When the WWII ended in 1945, Japan surrendered Taiwan to the ROC. Four years later, in 1949, the communists won the civil war, founded the People’s Republic of China (PROC) and chased the ROC to Taiwan. From then on, it’s PROC rules mainland China and ROC rules Taiwan. 1949 is also the year Germany became East and West Germanys.

For the next 30 years, with the realization they had no-where-to-go but to bite the bullet and work hard, Taiwan created the famous “economic miracle”. Unfortunately, democracy and human rights were sacrificed along the way.

Then in 1979, the year Iranian militants seized U.S. embassy in Tehran and held hostages, President Carter cut diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. It was devastating to Taiwan but it did not deter Taiwanese people--it made them work harder and more determined to make progress in democracy.

In 1990 a Native Taiwanese was elected the president. This is the very first time in history that the Taiwanese leader is a Native Taiwanese, instead of Dutch, Japanese, or a Chinese who came after 1949. From 1990, Taiwan has made tremendous progress in improving human rights and democracy--The martial law that had been imposed for 41 years was lifted, all political prisoners were freed, public media is opened to private sector, and freedom of speech has been taken for granted. According to a report on “freedom around the world” compiled by U.S.-based organization Freedom House, Taiwan is now on a par with Japan as the freest country in Asia.

Today, about 85% of the world’s PC mother boards are made in Taiwan. It is America’s 7th, EU’s 10th’s, and Washington State’s 5th largest trading partner. In year 2006, Taiwan’s Per Capita GDP was a little more than Spain’s, and was about 68% of America’s.

Taiwan will always be the most beautiful island in my heart. I sincerely hope that you will visit Taiwan some day and see it for yourself. I assure you that you’ll find it a very friendly place.

Mr. Toastmaster.
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References:
1971: Supreme Court rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.
Twenty-sixth Amendment to U.S. Constitution lowers voting age to 18.
UN seats Communist China and expels Nationalist China (Oct. 25).

1979: Shah leaves Iran after year of turmoil (Jan. 16); revolutionary forces under Muslim leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, take over (Feb. 1 et seq.).
Nuclear power plant accident at Three Mile Island, Pa., releases radiation (March 28).
Conservatives win British election; Margaret Thatcher new prime minister (May 3).
Iranian militants seize U.S. embassy in Tehran and hold hostages (Nov. 4).
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan stirs world protests (Dec. 27).
The Taiwan Relations Act is an act of the United States Congress passed in 1979 after the establishment of relations with the People's Republic of China and the breaking of relations between the United States and the Republic of China on Taiwan by President Jimmy Carter.