Taiwan

About the Flag

Located in Eastern Asia, Taiwan is comprised of several islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines off the southeastern coast of China. Taiwan is a multiparty democratic regime with its capital at Taipei. The executive branch is comprised of the President as Chief of State, Premier as Head of Government and the cabinet called the “Executive Yuan.” There is a Unicameral Legislative Yuan and Unicameral National Assembly. The legal system is based on civil law. Taiwan is not a member of the UN and its charter-designated subsidiary organs. Mandarin Chinese is the official language.

Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with considerable government guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Taiwan is a major investor in China, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Principal exports are electrical machinery and electronic products, textiles, and footwear. Leading trading partners are the United States, Hong Kong, the EC nations, and Japan. The new Taiwan dollar is the unit of currency.

The Ship Law Promulgated in 1930 and last amended in 1996, the Shipping Registration Law Promulgated in 1930 and last amended in 1975 and the Enforcement Rules of the Shipping Registration Law promulgated in 1931 and last amended in 1983 govern the registration of Taiwanese vessels; whereas, the Maritime Law promulgated in 1929 and last amended in 1962 and the Shipping Enterprise Law Promulgated in 1981 and last amended on 9th August 1995, etc. govern other maritime matters.