DATE=8/12/1999 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT TITLE=TAIWAN MOOD NUMBER=5-44043 BYLINE=STEPHANIE HO DATELINE=TAIPEI CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The question of whether Taiwan is independent or not is the crucial issue at the center of its relationship with China, which considers the island nothing more than a renegade Chinese province. But as V-O-A's Stephanie Ho reports from Taipei, for many people on Taiwan, this question may already be moot, because they consider themselves to be more Taiwanese than Chinese. Text: The one phrase about Taiwan that the Chinese government repeats over and over again is that the island is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. Fifty years ago, when the Chinese Nationalists lost the civil war to the Communists and fled to the island, both sides might have agreed that this was true. Now, however, things have changed. Lin Chong-pin, the Vice-Chairman of the Taiwanese government's Mainland Affairs Council, says that although Taipei gave up its military claim to the Chinese mainland in 1991, Beijing has not reciprocated by abandoning its threat to use force against Taiwan. // Lin act // \ On the other hand, Beijing has not followed suit. Beijing still retains its strategic offensive posture. // end act // Since 1992, the Mainland Affairs Council has regularly gauged the island's sense of identity. Nearly every six months, opinion poll-takers ask more than one thousand people whether they consider themselves to be Taiwanese, Chinese or both. The results from a survey in April of this year, show sharp changes in attitude and a rise in the percentage of people who consider themselves to be Taiwanese. More than 82-percent of the respondents consider themselves to be Taiwanese and Chinese, or just Taiwanese. This compares to 53-percent seven years ago. In contrast, the percentage of people who consider themselves to be Chinese dropped from 44- percent in 1992, to only about 13-percent. When the Nationalist government arrived in Taiwan five decades ago, it ruled the island with an iron fist. The grip has loosened, though, and Taiwan's 22-million people now choose their leaders democratically. The emerging sense of Taiwanese identity is one issue that is not lost on those who aspire to be the island's leaders. Chen Shui-bian, the former mayor of Taipei city who is now the presidential candidate for Taiwan's main political opposition Democratic Progressive Party, is not shy about highlighting his Taiwanese roots. // Chen and interpreter act // (Chinese) Since we were born and raised in Taiwan and also live in Taiwan, we love this land. And we are so proud of being Taiwanese. And this is the first thing I would like to emphasize. // end act // The Taiwanese government lifted martial law a dozen years ago. Nowadays, this freer atmosphere is evident in the willingness of Taiwanese citizens to talk openly to foreign journalists - a sharp contrast to the situation in China. Unsurprisingly, many people on the streets of Taipei say they consider themselves to be Taiwanese. Fourteen-year-old student Cheng Weizhi says he thinks Taiwan is already an independent country. // Student - Chinese in full, fade out // He says the authorities in Beijing should not be angry at Taiwan because the island has already been separated from the mainland for so long. One 37-year-old grocer agreed with the student. She refused to give her name, but was very outspoken. // Grocer - Chinese in full, fade out // She says Taiwan achieved all of its successes by itself. What, she asks angrily, has China ever given to the island? She points to the example of Mongolia, which many Chinese -- both in Taiwan and on the mainland -- consider to be a historical part of Chinese territory. She says if Beijing could allow neighboring Mongolia to be a separate country, it should also accept independence for Taiwan. (signed) NEB/HO/FC 12-Aug-1999 03:56 AM LOC (12-Aug-1999 0756 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .