Taiwan: Borne of conflict, living in belligerence but soaring to greater heights

TAIPEI: Caught in a complex political web into which it was born decades ago, Taiwan has been trying for a delicate balance of power and an identity of its own. Even while existing in the shadow of a belligerent superpower while also dealing with its complicated history and legacy, the Republic of China as it is formally known, has come a long to emerge as a technology powerhouse, one which has moved closer to India with investment and people-to-people connect.

The island nation's capital, Taipei, has a huge memorial and larger-than-life statue of Chiang Kai-shek, the first president of the country on one side. Not far from it is the National Human Rights Museum, which stands as a memory and a cautionary tale of the authoritarian rule by the same leader and the not-so-pleasant past during which the people were oppressed by party, State and military apparatus for nearly four decades till early nineties.

During that time, the ruling party, Kuomintang (KMT), and its government was hell bent on suppressing any voice of dissent or communism. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was the reason for KMT leaders to retreat from the mainland and set up their own country in the island located in the South China Sea.

But, the country seems to have achieved what it had been aiming for decades. Despite being a military-ruled country for a long period under the iron hands of General Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan has travelled a long way on its path to democracy.

Now it has become a country that every nation would be envious of. But for the overbearing presence of China, which has been threatening it with aggressive postures and possible unification by force, everything seems to be in place in Taiwan.

A number of countries, including India and the US, are friendly nations, but they don't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Only a handful of countries have diplomatic relations, as the rest do not want to antagonise the People's Republic of China (mainland China), which is a major trade partner.

It continues to remain excluded from international organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which has only made its quest for recognition as a sovereign State a matter of national pride and dignity.

But the spectacular technological advancement that Taiwan achieved in a short span of time has made it a country that every powerful nation wants to keep on its side. Mobile phone and component manufacturers like Foxconn, Pegatron and Wistron, and charging station-maker Delta Electronics are some of the leading Taiwanese firms that have a strong presence in India.

The chips that are made in Taiwan are found in the mobile phones that we use, and even in the high-tech weaponry that is key to several countries’ defence.

"Our hostile neighbour (read China), is not very happy with our development. It is in their DNA. But we survived 70 years," Deputy Defence Minister Chung Kwang Tien told a media delegation that was in Taipei.

Since 2016, Taiwan has been pursuing its New South-bound Policy (NSP), which focuses on building trade partnerships with countries situated on the southern side of the country to reduce dependence on China.

It still has at least 30 per cent of its trade with China. But according to Yulin Chang, assistant trade representative from the Office of Trade Negotiation, Taiwanese investment in China has reduced drastically in the last eight years.

Instead, it has channeled US$ 5.27 billion investments to NSP countries in 2022, a 121 per cent increase compared to 2016. In India alone, Taiwanese investment increased from US$ 310 million to US$ 1.36 billion during the same period.

It is not just investments that the country has paid conscious attention to. According to the Ministry of Labour, there are 7,68,360 expat workers in Taiwan (as of April 2024), including 13 per cent from India – a small number compared to what it could be, say officials here.

"Of the total professionals attracted to Taiwan, 32 per cent are from Malaysia and 20 per cent from Indonesia. India, with a population of over 140 crore people, could send only 13 per cent of the total foreign workforce to Taiwan," noted Benjamin Hsu, a senior official and Chief of Staff from the Office of Trade Negotiation.

The United States has a long-standing policy of supporting Taiwan's security and defense by selling weapons worth billions of dollars even while not formally recognising it as a sovereign State. "These weapons are meant for defence and not offence," stressed Deputy Defence Minister Tien, defending the large-scale weapon purchases from the US.

"We can't sit and talk with China if they think Taiwan is a part of their country," noted Catherine Hsu, Director General, Department of International Information Services, adding that Taiwan would defend itself against any kind of aggression.

Taiwan does believe that a mighty friend is needed to handle a mighty aggressive neighbour, especially when China likes to showcase its weapon power in the Taiwan Strait on a daily basis.

LIFE IN TAIWAN

But the common people here are not worried about the geopolitical tension, instead preferring to go ahead with their daily work and life. They don’t seem to mind walking to reach the destination, and mostly consume food that is steamed and boiled instead of the ones prepared in oil.

While the northern part of the country is bustling with business and administrative activities, and skyscrapers and indoor baseball stadium, the southern peninsula is calmer and greener with Kenting National Park covering 333 sq km area.

Life in the southern part of Taiwan is visibly more relaxed and less costly compared to the busy Taipei in the north, though the two ends are situated less than 500 km apart. High-speed trains that can travel 290 km per hour currently cover 80 per cent of distance between north and south up to Kaohsiung in less than two hours from Taipei.

The military-like discipline that the society grew up with is much visible even now — on the roads even during rush hours and also while standing in queue for a visit to Taipei - 101, one of the tallest buildings in the world.

One can feel the presence of women, at once ubiquitous and powerful, be it on the street night market or in the corridors of power. Women also form at least 52 per cent of the labour force.

"Women are treated as equal to men and they work hard to reach the top," noted Kristy Hsu, director, Taiwan ASEAN studies, Centre of Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.