“Asian Review 024” ― Taiwan part1
Taiwan, its uniqueness
I would like to start exploring “Taiwanand” as the 4th series of the “Asian Exploration” following Shanghai, Hanoi and Singapore. I would focus around Taipei, and a bit of Taichung and kaohsiung.
According to the website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the basic position of the Japanese government on relations with Taiwan is like this: “It is as stated in the Japan-China Joint Statement, and we have maintained relations with Taiwan as a non-governmental practical relationship. As a government, we hope that the problems surrounding Taiwan will be peacefully resolved through direct dialogue between the parties on both sides.”
As many of you may know, the Chinese government (People’s Republic of China) officially insists on the “One China” principle and is in a position to not accept double approval. Indeed, the map made in China states “Taiwan Province”.
One of my friend from Shanghai gave me a quiz: “When you rank the islands in China by size, where is Chong-Ming Island ranked? (It is an island in the mouth of Yangtze River, the size of which is about 1,225 square kilometers, about twice as big as the area of Tokyo 23 wards.) To my answer “It is the second after Hainan Island”, he said with a satisfactory smile, “Ha-ha, you failed. It is third, because Taiwan is the largest island.”
Well, as the political problem is complicated, I would not mention it so much, and the image I held for the Taiwanese before my first visit to Taiwan two years ago was as follows:
・ Generally, young people have good English skills and many elderly people can speak Japanese;
・ Generally friendly to Japanese;
・ High-tech industry is advanced, many companies are growing with mainland China as a market, and the income level is relatively high;
・ Famous for Jiufen which is said to be the model of “Spirited Away”, and Beitou hot spring resort;
・ A gourmet heaven with Chinese cuisine, small plate dishes, and the night market;
Let’s explore Taiwan, a unique and impressive land(area) for somewhat reason from the next time on. Please stay tuned!
