Taiwan Religion
Full religious freedom prevails in Taiwan. Buddhism is the most widely spread doctrine, closely followed by Taoism. However, most people practice a mixture of the two, often in addition to elements of traditional Chinese folk belief and wisdom (Confucianism). There are some purely Buddhist temples, but most shrines unite the various traditions. Many gods can be worshiped in one temple.
In Taiwan, there are also smaller groups of Christians, Muslims and followers of various smaller sects. Church and monastic life is intense, as many priests and monks of all faiths fled from the mainland to Taiwan after 1949.
- Countryaah: Population statistics for 2020 and next 30 years in Taiwan, covering demographics, population graphs, and official data for growth rates, population density, and death rates.
Population
The majority of the population of Taiwan are Chinese, descendants of the settlers who immigrated from mainland southern China in the 17th to 19th centuries. You refer to yourself as Taiwanese today.
The Chinese and their descendants who fled to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War between 1947 and 1949 are referred to as mainland Chinese by the Taiwanese. They have 14% of the population.
Taiwan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The distribution of the population across the land area is different. While the mountainous regions of the interior are hardly populated, the majority of the population lives densely packed in the coastal plains.
The degree of urbanization is also very high here due to the rural exodus that has persisted for decades. Only eight out of a hundred residents live in the country.
2017
December
China protests against US military ships visiting Taiwan
December 14
China accuses the United States of meddling in its internal affairs after US President Donald Trump signed a law allowing US and Taiwanese military vessels to exchange visits for the first time since 1979, when the US broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Beijing believes that the law is contrary to the prevailing China policy.
China and Panama will start free trade negotiations
December 8
The governments of China and Panama announce that they will begin negotiations on a free trade agreement in June 2018. Panama severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in June 2017.
China critical of investment agreement between the Philippines and Taiwan
December 8
After the Philippines and Taiwan signed a joint investment agreement, Beijing protests, which believes that Taiwan belongs to China and therefore does not have the right to conclude its own agreements with other countries.
New team will settle with Chiang Kai-Shek’s authoritarian regime
December 6
Taiwan’s legislative yuan adopts a new law intended to contribute to reconciliation and to settle the human rights violations committed under Taiwan’s former dictator Chiang Kai-Shek between 1947 until his death in 1975. According to the law, various symbols resembling the authoritarian regime is removed.
November
Activist sentenced to prison in China
November 28
Taiwanese democracy activist Lee Ming-che is sentenced by a Chinese court to five years in prison after propagating for multi-party systems and democracy on social media. Lee disappeared in March in connection with a trip to China. The authorities there eventually announced that he was taken into custody and that he was suspected of overthrowing activities. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen strongly criticizes the verdict and calls for Lee to be released immediately.
October
Tsai is looking for a new collaboration model with Beijing
October 10
In his National Day speech, President Tsai suggests that leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should try to find new models for cooperation. She also emphasizes that Taiwan strives for peace and stability.
September
The Prime Minister announces support for independence
September 26th
When the new Prime Minister Lai Ching-te submits his first report to Parliament, he is first asked by Kuomintang and the Party people about their views on Taiwan’s independence and relations with the mainland. Lai then says that he supports independence for Taiwan. This is the first time that a Taiwanese head of government is openly advocating such a position.
Change of Prime Minister’s post
September 5
President Tsai Ing-Wen, also known by his English name William Lai, announces that Lin Chuan will step down as head of government and be replaced by Lai Ching-te, mayor of Tainan.
June
The US is planning arms sales
June 30th
The US plans to sell weapons to Taiwan for around $ 1.42 billion. The deals, which must be approved by Congress, include technical maintenance for radar systems, anti-radar robots, torpedoes and robotic components.
Panama ends relations with Taiwan
June 13th
Panama ends diplomatic relations with Taiwan and establishes diplomatic relations with China instead. It is the third country to end its diplomatic relations with Taipei in just over a year. In a joint statement, the Panama government and the Beijing government state that Panama now recognizes that there is only “one China in the world” and that Taiwan is part of this state.
May
Same-sex marriage on the road to becoming legal
24th of May
Taiwan’s Supreme Court believes in a ruling that the current legislation prohibiting same-sex marriage violates the right to equality under the Constitution. The ruling means that Taiwan must change the legislation or introduce new laws and it must be done within two years. Taiwan can thus become the first country in Asia to make it legal for same-sex people to marry.
Taiwan is excluded from the WHO meeting
May 21
For the first time in eight years, Taiwan may not participate as an observer in the World Health Organization’s annual WHO meeting. That’s because of the increasingly frosty relations with Beijing since Tsai took office as Taiwan’s president. According to WHO officials, this year there is no longer the same consensus between Taipei and Beijing as in previous years since 2009.
February
Spain deports Taiwanese to China
February 18
About 200 Taiwanese suspected of fraud are being sent by the Chinese government to China instead of Taiwan. The Taiwan government expresses its deep disappointment at the Spanish government’s decision, which is believed to violate the rights of the Taiwanese. Recently, several similar cases of suspected Taiwanese have been deported to China.
January
Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait
January 10
China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning travels through the Taiwan Strait, leading to concerns in Taiwan. In response, the government of Taipei sends F-16 fighter jets and a military ship to the Taiwan Strait.