Never Get Involved in a Land War in Asia

Taiwan is hardly the only country duking it out with China on the transnational front. A short list of other regional conflicts includes:

• Spratly Islands conflict with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei (couldn't Brunei just BUY the Islands if they REALLY wanted them?);
• Kashmir region conflict with India & Pakistan;
• Paracel Islands conflict with Vietnam and Taiwan.
  
  However China and Taiwan do side together against Japan in rejecting Japan's claim to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) .

Some Facts on Taiwan

Population (July 2005): 22,894,384

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Geographic Note: strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

Background (from the CIA World Factbook 2005): "In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform. "

Cultural Fact You Didn't Need To Know: "Taiwan has the Asia Pacific’s and perhaps the world’s highest density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,800 people or .000357 stores per person"

Some Facts on China

Population (July 2005): 1,306,313,812

Comparative area: slightly smaller than the United States

Background (from the CIA World Factbook 2005): "For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. "

Cultural Fact You Already Knew: China is home to the Giant Panda!