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India-Taiwan Trade Forum wraps up in Taipei

The annual India-Taiwan Trade Forum was staged Jan. 15 in Taipei City, bringing together more than...

Taiwan occupies an important position in the global economy. It is a top player in the world’s information and communication technology industry as well as a major supplier of goods across the industrial spectrum. According to the World Trade Organization, Taiwan was the 16th largest exporter and 18th largest importer of merchandise in 2017. It was also one of the largest holders of foreign exchange reserves as of December 2017. Taiwan’s gross domestic product per capita reached US$24,337 in 2017. In terms of nominal GDP, Taiwan ranks close to Argentina and Sweden, while Taiwan’s GDP per capita expressed as purchasing power parity is similar to that of Austria and Denmark.

While Taiwan may be described as a predominantly Han Chinese society, with more than 95 percent of the population claiming Han ancestry, its heritage is actually much more complex. The successive waves of Chinese immigrants that began arriving in the 17th century belonged to a variety of subgroups with mutually unintelligible languages and different customs.Today in Taiwan, however, distinctions between them have become blurred as a result of extensive intermarriage and the universal use of Mandarin. Taiwan has been a melting pot not only of diverse Han subgroups, but also of indigenous Malayo-Polynesian peoples and immigrants from all over the world. Recent years, for example, have seen an influx of new arrivals from China and Southeast Asia, mostly through marriage. Currently, the number of new immigrants is nearly 500,000.

The ROC is a sovereign and independent state that maintains its own national defense and conducts its own foreign affairs. As enshrined in the ROC Constitution, thecountry aims to “cultivate good-neighborliness with other nations, and respect treaties and the Charter of the U.N. … promote international cooperation, protect international justice and ensure world peace.” The ultimate goal of the country’s foreign policy is to ensure a favorable environment for the nation’s preservation and long-term development.