Taiwan

Taiwan is the island which has for all practical purposes been independent for half a century but which China regards as a part of its territory that must be re-united with the mainland.

Legally, most nations - and the UN - acknowledge the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is a province of China, and as a result Taiwan has formal diplomatic relations with only 24 countries - Pacific, South American and African states in the main - and no seat at the UN.

China has sanctioned the use of force against Taiwan if it moves toward declaring statehood. It also insists that no state can have formal ties with both mainland China and Taiwan. But despite its diplomatic isolation, Taiwan has become one of Asia's big traders.

The Chinese nationalist government of President Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan ahead of the advance of the communists under Mao Zedong in 1949. The government-in-exile established Taipei as its capital and for decades hoped to reclaim control over the mainland.

In the early 1990s Taiwan made the transition from an authoritarian one-party state to a democracy.

Direct presidential elections were introduced and in 2005 the National Assembly - the once-powerful body that approved Nationalist presidential nominees - was disbanded.

Taiwan's president has warned that more than 700 Chinese missiles are aimed at the island. The military threat is partly offset by the pivotal relationship between Taipei and Washington. The US, which has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, is nevertheless the main provider of arms to the island - one of the world's big arms purchasers.

Tensions notwithstanding, Taiwan and China enjoy healthy trade links. China is Taipei's number one export market.

Taiwan is considered to have achieved an economic miracle, becoming one of the world's top producers of computer technology.