In 2011, the population of Taiwan was estimated to be around 23 million people. The economy of the country was largely dependent on exports such as electronics and machinery, as well as services such as finance and telecommunications. In terms of foreign relations, Taiwan had strong ties with other Asian countries, as well as with the United States and Canada. In terms of politics, Taiwan had a multiparty democracy which had been in power since 1949. The ruling party at the time was the Kuomintang (KMT), which was led by President Ma Ying-jeou. See mathgeneral for Taiwan in the year of 2017.
Yearbook 2011
Taiwan. A general, Lo Hsien-che, was arrested in January on suspicion of spying on China’s behalf. He was reported to be the highest ranking officer arrested for spying for over 40 years. Lo was indicted in a military court and sentenced in July to life in prison for selling military secrets. According to Taiwanese media, it was a communication and control system developed by Taiwan in collaboration with the United States. Visit ABBREVIATIONFINDER for the acronym of TWN that stands for the country of Taiwan.
According to Countryaah official site, the opposition party Democratic Progress Party (DPP) in April appointed its chairman Tsai Ing-wen as the party’s candidate in the presidential election in January 2012. She defeated a counter-candidate through a kind of primary election conducted through polls. Tsai became the first female presidential candidate in Taiwan’s history. The candidate for the ruling Nationalist Party (Guomindang) was the incumbent President Ma Ying-jeou.
In June, former President Lee Teng-hui was indicted for money laundering and embezzlement of state funds. His party comrades in the Taiwan Solidarity Union claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. Lee was excluded from Guomindang after his time as President 1988-2000. The now 88-year-old Lee became the country’s second president charged with corruption. His successor at the post, Chen Shui-bian, was sentenced in August to a little over two years in prison for money laundering and forgery. Chen’s wife Wu Shu-jen was sentenced to another twelve years, but she escaped prison because of poor health. Both had previously been sentenced to long prison sentences for corruption.
The death penalty debate resurfaced when a military court in September ruled that a soldier executed in 1997 for rape and murder of a five-year-old was innocent. According to the court, the soldier had admitted the crime after torture. The Ministry of Defense promised damages in excess of US $ 3 million to the man’s relatives.
President Ma caused some resentment when he said in a speech in October that a peace treaty with China should be concluded within ten years. It was the first time a time frame for such an agreement was specified. Many feared that Ma would lead the country toward a reunification with mainland China, which still regards Taiwan as a breakaway province. The resurrection prompted Ma to promise that no negotiations with China on this issue could be made without support in a referendum.
August
Chinese data breach by government agencies
August 19th
Chinese hackers infiltrate a dozen government agencies and gain control of about 6,000 email accounts. According to authorities, cyber-attacks by Chinese hackers have become more common in Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen became president in 2016. Two groups in particular, Taidoor and Blacktech, have attacked departments linked to the executive yuan.
US Secretary of State pays historic visit to Taiwan
10th August
US Secretary of Health Alex Azar meets with President Tsai Ing-Wen during an official visit to Taiwan. The visit is the first at such a high level since the United States officially broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979. Azar praises Taiwan for the successful management of the coronavirus, while Tsai in turn thanks the United States for its support for Taiwan’s attempt to become a member of the World Health Organization, WHO. However, Beijing strongly opposes Taiwanese membership of the WHO and protests against the US ministerial visit to Taiwan.