Taiwan Strait | UPSC | Why In The News ?
- After G-7, Quad includes Taiwan Strait in talks ( 14 August 2021 )
About Taiwan Strait
- The TaiwanStrait, also known as the Formosa Strait
- It is a 180 km wide strait separating Taiwan and mainland China.
- The strait is currently part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north.
- The narrowest part is 130 km wide.
- The entire strait is on Asia’s continental shelf.
- Historically both the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan espoused a One-China Policy that considered the strait part of the exclusive economic zone of a single “China”.
- The chief ports are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung in Taiwan. The area lies in a typhoon zone.
- The strait is a busy shipping route, on which millions of tons of cargo are ferried each year.
- Fishing is another crucial economic activity that is carried out along the strait.
About Taiwan :
- Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of China (ROC).
- It is a state in East Asia with China to its west, Japan to the north-east, and the Philippines to the south.
- The East China Sea lies to its north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest.
- The Taiwan Strait separates the island of Taiwan from mainland China.
- Taipei is the capital.
- Taiwan is no longer a member of the UN, having been replaced by China in 1971.
- Taiwan is claimed by China, which refuses diplomatic relations with countries that recognise the ROC.
- Taiwan maintains official ties with 14 out of 193 UN member states and the Holy See.
- The bilateral relations between India and Taiwan have improved since the 1990s despite both nations not maintaining official diplomatic relations.
