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|queen         =

|queen         =

|monarch-raw =

|monarch-raw =

|president =Chen Shui-bian

|president =Ma Ying-jeou

|president-raw =

|president-raw =

|chancellor =

|chancellor =

===Principal Government Officals===  

===Principal Government Officals===  

*President--Chen Shui-bian

*President--MA Ying-jeou

*Vice President--Annette Lu (Lu Hsiu-lien)

*Vice President--Vincent C. SIEW

*Premier--Chang Chun-hsiung

*Premier--LIU Chao-shiuan

*Vice Premier--Chiou I-jen

*Vice Premier--CHIU Cheng-hsiung

*Legislative Yuan President--Wang Jin-pyng

*Secretary-General, Executive Yuan--HSIEH Hsiang-chuan

*Judicial Yuan President--Weng Yueh-sheng

*Minister of the Interior--LIAO Liou-yi

*Defense Minister--Michael Tsai (Tsai Ming-hsien)

*Minister of Foreign Affairs--Francisco H. L. OU

*Foreign Minister--James Huang (Huang Chih-fang)

*Minister of National Defense--CHEN Chao-min

*Minister of Justice--Shih Mao-lin

*Minister of Finance--LI Sush-der

*Mainland Affairs Council Chairman--Chen Ming-tong

*Minister of Education--CHENG Jei-cheng

*Government Information Office Minister--Shieh Jhy-wey

<ref>[http://www.gio.gov.tw/lp.asp?ctNode=4400&CtUnit=996&BaseDSD=24&mp=807 Government Information Office, Republic of China (Taiwan)]

===Political Conditions===

===Political Conditions===

Starting before World War II and continuing afterwards, a civil war was fought on the mainland between Chiang Kai-shek's KMT government and the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong. When the civil war ended in 1949, 2 million refugees, predominately from the Nationalist government, military, and business community, fled to Taiwan. In October 1949 the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) was founded on the mainland by the victorious communists. Chiang Kai-shek established a "provisional" KMT capital in Taipei in December 1949. During the 1950s, the KMT authorities implemented a far-reaching and highly successful land reform program on Taiwan. They redistributed land among small farmers and compensated large landowners with commodities certificates and stock in state-owned industries. Although this left some large landowners impoverished, others turned their compensation into capital and started commercial and industrial enterprises. These entrepreneurs were to become Taiwan's first industrial capitalists. Together with refugee businessmen from the mainland, they managed Taiwan's transition from an agricultural to a commercial, industrial economy.  

Starting before World War II and continuing afterwards, a civil war was fought on the mainland between Chiang Kai-shek's KMT government and the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong. When the civil war ended in 1949, 2 million refugees, predominately from the Nationalist government, military, and business community, fled to Taiwan. In October 1949 the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) was founded on the mainland by the victorious communists. Chiang Kai-shek established a "provisional" KMT capital in Taipei in December 1949. During the 1950s, the KMT authorities implemented a far-reaching and highly successful land reform program on Taiwan. They redistributed land among small farmers and compensated large landowners with commodities certificates and stock in state-owned industries. Although this left some large landowners impoverished, others turned their compensation into capital and started commercial and industrial enterprises. These entrepreneurs were to become Taiwan's first industrial capitalists. Together with refugee businessmen from the mainland, they managed Taiwan's transition from an agricultural to a commercial, industrial economy.  

Taiwan has developed steadily into a major international trading power with $466 billion in two-way trade (2007). Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2002 has expanded its trade opportunities and further strengthened its standing in the global economy. Tremendous prosperity on the island has been accompanied by economic and social stability. Chiang Kai-shek's successor, his son Chiang Ching-kuo, began to liberalize Taiwan's political system, a process that continued when President Lee Teng-hui took office in 1988. The direct election of Lee Teng-hui as president in 1996 was followed by opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian's election victory in March 2000. Chen was re-elected in March 2004 in a tightly contested election. KMT's Ma Ying-jeou won the March 2008 presidential election by a substantial majority and is scheduled to take office on May 20, 2008.  

Taiwan has developed steadily into a major international trading power with $466 billion in two-way trade (2007). Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2002 has expanded its trade opportunities and further strengthened its standing in the global economy. Tremendous prosperity on the island has been accompanied by economic and social stability. Chiang Kai-shek's successor, his son Chiang Ching-kuo, began to liberalize Taiwan's political system, a process that continued when President Lee Teng-hui took office in 1988. The direct election of Lee Teng-hui as president in 1996 was followed by opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian's election victory in March 2000. Chen was re-elected in March 2004 in a tightly contested election. KMT's Ma Ying-jeou won the March 2008 presidential election by a substantial majority and was inaugurated on May 20, 2008.