Taiwan

Taiwan - Is officially known as Taiwan. Taiwan is an Asian island nation sharing borders with the East China Sea, the Philippine Sea, Luzon Strait, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait which separates it from China. Taiwan is governed by the Republic of China (ROC) and is claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) although the PRC has never controlled Taiwan or any of the current ROC territory commonly referred to as "Taiwan". Evidence of human settlement in Taiwan dates back thirty thousand years, although the first inhabitants of Taiwan may have been genetically distinct from any groups currently on the island. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance in 2007 pushed Taiwan's Gross Domestic Product growth rate above 5%.