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Taiwanese Australians are Australian citizens or permanent residents of ethnic Taiwanese descent. Alternatively, a Taiwanese Australian can merely be an Australian who possesses dual Australian and Republic of China (ROC) citizenship. Although Taiwan is not synonymous with the Republic of China and is actually a distinct entity, Taiwan constitutes 99% of the ROC's territory. Therefore, due to pars pro toto, Taiwan is a nickname commonly used in place of 'the Republic of China', in order to distinguish the country from the better-known People's Republic of China (PRC), aka 'China' or 'Mainland China'.

Overall, the topic of 'Taiwanese Australians', a subgroup of 'Taiwanese people', is a complicated one, primarily due to the political status of Taiwan and the widespread identity crisis among Taiwanese people. 'Taiwanese ethnicity' is a very convoluted, confusing, and contradictory concept, at times. 'Taiwanese identity' combines elements of Taiwanese ethnicity, Taiwanese nationalism, Taiwanese nationality, Taiwanese culture, Taiwanese society, and Taiwanese history, into a neat little bundle. Taiwan's national identity can often be difficult to understand for much of the world's countries, which mostly recognise Taiwan as a province of China (the PRC).

Taiwanese Ethnicity

The 'Taiwanese ethnicity' is commonly defined to consist of those 'Han Chinese' people who migrated to Taiwan, which is geographically an island, 120-450 years ago. These people originated from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces, located in China, and this is why they speak Chinese languages (aka dialects) originating from those areas, such as Min Nan and Hakka languages. Many Taiwanese people don't actually identify as 'Han Chinese'. Some prefer the designation 'Han Taiwanese', whereas others simply prefer to identify as purely 'Taiwanese', and believe that Taiwanese people are a distinct ethnicity from Chinese people. This belief is neither correct nor incorrect, given that ethnicity is a social construct which is purely cultural, political, and psychological.

Given that most Taiwanese people consider Taiwan to be an independent country from Mainland China, it makes sense for them to identify as a different ethnicity, if they so choose. Even the 'Han Chinese' ethnicity is only a relatively recent social construct, which has only been widely used since the early-1900s. Because many Taiwanese people identify as 'ethnically Taiwanese' and not as 'ethnically Chinese', many 'Mainlander Chinese' people regard Taiwanese people as traitors, or 'Hanjian'. This has also led to accusations against the Taiwanese by the Mainlander Chinese that "Taiwanese people worship Japan and want to be Japanese". This is because of a perception from China that Taiwanese people love Japan and Japanese culture.

Outside of the supposed 'Native Taiwanese' ethnicity, which excludes people who migrated from China to Taiwan after World War 2, the term 'Taiwanese' can also be used to refer to anyone else who lives on Taiwan island, including the Indigenous Taiwanese, the Taiwanese of Mainlander descent, and the New Immigrants (who can be of any ethnicity). In Taiwan, there is a big cultural, social, and political divide between the 'Mainlander Taiwanese' and the 'Native Taiwanese'. The former are sometimes referred to as 'Waishengren' (people from outside of this province), and the latter are sometimes referred to as 'Benshengren' (people from inside this province).

All of these above terms are controversial. The term 'Mainlander Taiwanese' is seen as a method to exclude post-WW2 immigrants from Taiwanese society and label them as 'fake Taiwanese'. The term 'Native Taiwanese' is obviously controversial since everyone who was born on Taiwan island is a native (though not necessarily indigenous). This term is further controversial because of the lack of genetic distinction between Mainlander and Native Taiwanese. Additionally, the term is controversial because of the status of the Indigenous Taiwanese, who are actually ethnically Austronesian, rather than Sinitic (Chinese).

The term 'indigenous' itself is controversial, given that it is widely theorised that all Indigenous Taiwanese people are descended from people who migrated to Taiwan from China 5000-15,000 years ago, which makes them immigrants as well. Given that literally everyone in Taiwan is descended from immigrants who arrived at different times, who can truly be considered indigenous, native, or a foreigner? Finally, the terms 'Waishengren' and 'Benshengren' are controversial, due to the political sensitivity of the word 'province'. Though, of course, most non-Chinese people will have no idea what these two terms mean in Chinese, so 'Waishengren' and 'Benshengren' are politically neutral terms when speaking to people who are not fluent in Chinese.

Taiwanese History and Politics

Overview

Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China (ROC), is a fully autonomous state located on a medium-sized island which lies 180 km (111 miles) off the southeast coast of 'Mainland China' (in East Asia). Taiwan does not have recognition by the United Nations (UN), and it is officially recognized as a Secessionist State within China. Taiwan's history as a 'nation' is quite short, but the nationalistic sentiment amongst the young Taiwanese is gradually increasing as the rift between Taiwan and its rival state, the People's Republic of China (PRC), widens. Taiwan was separated from China, also known as 'Mainland China', following the events of the First Sino-Japanese War, which occurred between 1894 and 1895. Qing Dynasty officials ceded Taiwan to the Empire of Japan in 1895 after losing the war, with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki (which has subsequently been deemed illegitimate by the ROC and PRC governments).

Taiwan was only 'returned' to China in 1945, following Japan's surrender at the end of WWII (this fact is highly contested). The ROC was then exiled to Taiwan in 1949-1950s as a result of heavy losses in the Chinese Civil War, increasing the population of Taiwan by roughly 1.2 million (according to the Taiwanese government's official statistics). The ROC continued to hold China's position on the United Nations Security Council until 1971 (in that year, it lost the China seat, along with its Security Council powers, to the PRC), and it lost diplomatic recognition from its greatest ally, the United States of America, in 1978, though a Taiwan Relations Act (between Taiwan and the US) was arranged in 1979, to defend the territorial integrity of the ROC and to maintain peace and stability in East Asia. After Chiang Kai-shek (Taiwan's president at the time) decided to turn down an offer to re-enter the UN as the "Chinese Republic of Taiwan" or just the "Republic of Taiwan", Taiwanese people were effectively left Stateless, and Taiwan was officially wiped off the map.

Dynamics of Taiwanese Society and Politics

Today, Taiwanese people (of Han Chinese descent) are divided between 'Mainlanders' and 'Natives'. They are also divided between a 'Pan-Blue Camp' and a 'Pan-Green Camp', with the former being led by the Kuomintang (KMT), the ROC's original party (which used to govern Taiwan as a One-Party Dictatorship), and with the latter being led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which emerged in Taiwan slightly before Martial Law was lifted in 1987. However, Taiwanese people are loosely united by their general opposition to the PRC and its ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which is adamant on destroying the ROC and reclaiming Taiwan, which it claims as 'ancient Chinese territory' and as a 'Province of China'. The PRC is responsible for politically and socially isolating Taiwan, and it also threatens Taiwan with war on a daily basis, warning the Taiwanese to not dare declare independence. The political climate in Taiwan is extremely dangerous, despite the lack of immediate danger, and Taiwan is widely considered to be a flashpoint for conflict in Asia. The KMT, CCP, and DPP are currently fighting a 'Psychological War' against each other, going three ways. The use of Propaganda, Slander, and Racism is becoming increasingly prevalent.

Early History of Taiwan

Taiwan is the traditional ancestral land of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, who have been living on the island for tens-of-thousands of years. They remained isolated from the rest of the world until the Age of Discovery. Though the Chinese originally respected the sovereignty of the Taiwanese Indigenous peoples, the Europeans did not. Various European powers vied for control over Taiwan, intending to use the island as a strategic trading port, from which they would conduct trade with China, Korea, and Japan. The Dutch occupied a section of Southwest Taiwan from 1624 until 1662, after being driven out of the Pescadores by the Chinese. The Spanish also colonised Taiwan, but landed on the northern end of the island, and held various colonies on Taiwan island from 1626 until 1642. Eventually, the Dutch (who had already defeated the Spanish in Taiwan) were driven out of Taiwan by the exiled Ming Chinese in 1662, led by Zheng Cheng-gong (Koxinga). Koxinga was the son of a Ming admiral, and he had previously collaborated with the by now defunct Southern Ming Rump state.

Koxinga died soon after conquering Taiwan and founding the Kingdom of Tungning (aka 'the Kingdom of Taiwan'), and his son Zheng Jing ascended to throne to replace him. Although Zheng Cheng-gong wanted to build up his armies in Taiwan, invade China, and destroy the rival Qing, who had hijacked China, Zheng Jing was very different from his father. Instead, Zheng Jing took after his Japanese side of family (he was a quarter Japanese via his father Koxinga), and he preferred to turn Taiwan into an 'Island Nation', with an 'Island Culture' and 'Maritime Culture'. Zheng Jing intended to sail the seas, using Taiwan as a base of operations. This is significant because the Chinese have always been a 'Continental Culture'. There was never any 'Island Culture' or 'Maritime Culture' in China after the failed voyages of Zheng He, which occurred during the 1400s under the Ming Regime. The fact that Zheng Jing intended to nurture these decisively non-Chinese cultural practices into his society indicates that his Kingdom of Tungning was not truly a Chinese nation. Because the Kingdom of Tungning was hostile towards the Qing Empire, the Qing Empire elected to annex the Kingdom of Tungning, along with the rest of Taiwan island, in 1683, officially bringing Taiwan into the Chinese Domain for the first time in history.

Austronesian Immigration to Australia

Austronesians in Taiwan and the Colonisation of Taiwan

Taiwan has been inhabited by Austronesian peoples since antiquity (the general consensus is that Austronesians have lived in Taiwan for 15,000 years) . These people, prior to the late-1500s, had virtually no direct contact with the outside world (meaning they were stuck on the island of Taiwan). Medieval Chinese (and modern European) writings support the claim made in the previous sentence. The Chinese themselves, perhaps the closest Great Power to Taiwan geographically, only visited the main island of Taiwan less than a dozen times throughout their 3000-year history, prior to the late-1500s.

The Chinese made no serious attempts at Colonisation (perhaps since they frequently succumbed to unknown diseases upon landing on the island), and they apparently respected the Sovereignty of Taiwan's various tribes. This respect lasted until 1683, when the Qing Empire annexed Taiwan, fearing that a power occupying Taiwan, such as the Kingdom of Tungning or the Dutch East India Company, would be able to launch an attack against China. Nowadays, said 'China' is often referred to as 'Mainland China', in relation to Taiwan, though this name is quite ignorant in regard to the Austronesian peoples' 15,000-year history on Taiwan.

Apart from the historical records, there is another piece of evidence which indicates that the Indigenous Taiwanese likely had very little contact with the outside world. When Chinese people travelled to Taiwan, as previously mentioned, they often fell ill within days and died. Similarly, when the Dutch conquered Southern Taiwan in 1624 (Dutch Formosa), somehow managing to overcome Taiwan's deadly diseases (likely with the assistance of modern medicine), dozens of Taiwanese Aboriginal people immediately started falling ill and succumbing to foreign diseases which were introduced by the Dutch (which would have included diseases picked up by the Dutch in Indonesia, which is geographically much closer to Taiwan than the Netherlands).

The fact that the Indigenous Taiwanese had built up zero immunity to foreign diseases (originating from a land as nearby as Borneo and other islands of Indonesia), and the fact that the Chinese had built up zero immunity to Taiwanese diseases, indicates that Taiwan was likely isolated for a long time prior to Colonisation. Or, at least, Taiwan's physical isolation as an island must have prevented foreigners from colonising the land for hundreds of years. Therefore, in the context of Greater World History, Taiwan's history since the early-1600s logically falls into the historical period/classifier known as the 'Age of Discovery', which covers the 1500s-1900s colonisation of the Americas and Australia, as well as other previously isolated lands (often referred to as 'The New World', by the Europeans).

The 'Out of Taiwan' Theory (and other Taiwanese anthropological theories)

It is widely hypothesised that Taiwan was the (most recent) traditional homeland of all Austronesian peoples, based on linguistic theories . It is also hypothesised that many of Taiwan's tribes originated from Southeast Asia and were "thrown into Taiwan" whilst sailing through the Philippines, due to strong currents . The latter theory is supported by close cultural similarities between the Yami (Tao) tribe of Orchid Island (Lanyu), Taiwan, and some tribes living in the Northern Philippines (which is geographically very nearby to Orchid Island).

According to the most widespread theory, which is commonly known as the 'Out of Taiwan Theory' (the name is probably inspired by the more famous 'Out of Africa Theory'), Austronesians emigrated from Taiwan several thousand (or hundred) years ago and colonised many distant archipelagic lands, including Madagascar, Easter Island (Chile), Hawaii (US), Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hainan (PRC), the Torres Strait (Australia), and New Zealand.

The main premise of the theory is that Taiwan was the last common location occupied by all of the various Austronesian peoples, who can be roughly classified together thanks to linguistic similarities. Interestingly, Taiwan's various tribes (16 officially recognised, perhaps 4-5 more unrecognised) are extremely linguistically diverse whilst occupying a small area, relatively speaking. In contrast, vast lands such as Indonesia and New Zealand are much less linguistically diverse. This has led some researchers to believe that Taiwan or Southern China must be the "entry point for Austronesians into Southeast Asia".

Of course, this theory could be completely or partially inaccurate, as high linguistic diversity doesn't necessarily indicate that Taiwan is the original homeland of the Austronesian peoples.

Austronesian Ethnic Groups in Australia

If our generally agreed upon theories of Anthropology are correct, then the Australian Aboriginal peoples are completely unrelated to the Taiwanese Aboriginal peoples (they share common descent from 60,000 years ago, but are otherwise unrelated in the modern era). However, the natives of the Torres Strait (home to Australia's Torres Strait Islanders), possess some Austronesian blood and speak languages with Austronesian roots. Therefore, if the 'Out of Taiwan' theory is correct, then that means that the first 'Taiwanese' people to immigrate to Australia were, in fact, the Torres Strait Islanders.

The natives of New Zealand are also Austronesian, and successful Māori pilgrimages to Taiwan have indicated shared culture, language, values, and traditions . However, this doesn't necessarily indicate that the Māori are descended from Taiwanese Aborigines. There are many Māori living in Australia, due to the geographical proximity of Australia to New Zealand, and due to the shared culture and close political ties between the two countries.

Taiwanese Immigration to Australia

The Emergence of a Taiwanese National Identity

Figuring out exactly when the first Taiwanese people arrived in Australia is a difficult endeavour because it depends on how exactly you define 'Taiwanese people'. Are people who lived in Taiwan before 1895 considered to be Taiwanese if they left Taiwan in 1895 or before 1895? Are people who have lost the Taiwanese culture and identity due to years of reassimilation into Chinese society still Taiwanese? Are people whose ancestors were born in Taiwan, but did not identify as Taiwanese, still Taiwanese, if they themselves identify as Taiwanese? Also, are Taiwanese people who identify as only Chinese and not Taiwanese even 'real Taiwanese' people?

With the case of the Austronesians mentioned earlier in this article, they did not identify as 'Taiwanese' at the time which they arrived in Australia, nor did they identify as Taiwanese for many years after that. The distant cousins of the Torres Strait Islanders and Māori Australians who remained on Taiwan island - the modern day Taiwanese Aboriginal peoples - would later come to identify as 'Taiwanese' only several thousand years later. However, in the modern day, many Torres Strait Islanders and Māori Australians, who seem to have accepted the 'Out of Taiwan Theory' at face value, have embraced their 'Taiwanese heritage' and have taken pilgrimages to Taiwan to bond with the local Taiwanese Aborigines, whom they now consider to be their 'cousins'.

Chinese Immigration to Australia

According to legends, some Chinese mariners and merchants discovered Australia several hundred years ago, likely landing on the coast of Western Australia . Contact was likely made with the local Aboriginal Australians, and it is possible that some Chinese people stayed behind in Australia and intermarried with the Aboriginal Australians. Of course, there are no reliable records to prove this, but some possible evidence is currently being analysed. The first reliable records of ethnic Han Chinese migration to Australia date back to 1818, beginning with people like John Shying. The first large wave of Chinese - mostly Cantonese - immigration to Australia occurred during the 1850s-1860s, as a result of the Victorian Gold Rush.

This history of Chinese immigration to Australia is only slightly relevant for modern Taiwanese Australians. Though many Taiwanese still have some connections to China, especially those Taiwanese Australians who have grown up surrounded by Chinese Australians, the history of Chinese Australians doesn't exactly cover the history of Taiwanese Australians very well. Additionally, the inspirational stories of Chinese heritage in Australia probably aren't too inspirational for most Taiwanese people, even for those who do identify as Chinese. Even those who do identify as Chinese still cannot avoid the fact that their families' histories have been intertwined with the history of Taiwan for the past 70 years or so. This is why so many (Taiwanese Waisheng/Mainlander) die-hard supporters of the KMT, which is pro-Reunification, still cling onto the Taiwanese identity.

Taiwanese, Not Chinese

For people who primarily identify as Taiwanese, the general 'Chinese' history of immigration to Australia is irrelevant, unless some of those Chinese people happened to be of Taiwanese descent or identified as Taiwanese. Given the history of Taiwan as an inhospitable, lawless, isolated borderland (during Qing Empire rule), it is highly unlikely that any 'real Taiwanese' people migrated to Australia prior to 1901 (Federation of Australia and the beginning of the White Australia Policy). From 1901 until 1973, the White Australia Policy pretty much blocked 99.99% of possible Taiwanese immigration to Australia. Additionally, domestic Japanese policies regarding Taiwan prevented much emigration from the island after 1897.

Chinese people did manage to circumvent the Australian immigration ban by being brought over to Australia as indentured labourers, working on plantations or construction sites. However, it is highly unlikely that any Taiwanese people were brought to Australia in this way, due to the fact that Taiwan was an integral region of Japan, and was highly exploited for agriculture and labour domestically. Overall, prior to 1895, Taiwanese immigration to Australia was practically unheard of. And after 1895, starting from 1901, Taiwanese immigration to Australia became borderline illegal for the next 72 years. Japan was also not willing to export Taiwanese labourers to Australia. Additionally, Taiwanese people fleeing Taiwan between 1895 and 1897 most likely did not choose Australia as a destination in which to take refuge or were unable to enter the country.

How old is the Taiwanese Australian community?

Overall, it would seem, at first, that Taiwanese people have only started coming to Australia since 1973, when the White Australia Policy was abolished. The current Taiwanese community in Australia is decently large, at roughly 45,000-55,000 people, but it is also very young. 95 to 90% of Taiwanese Australians are 1st-generation (meaning that they migrated to Australia) or 2nd-generation (meaning that their parents migrated to Australia). A possible extra 9.9 to 4.98% of Taiwanese Australians are 3rd-generation, meaning that their grandparents migrated to Australia. Roughly 0.1 to 0.02% of Taiwanese Australians, which is roughly 20-50 people, are 4th-generation, meaning that their great-grandparents migrated to Australia. The number of 5th-generation Taiwanese Australians is currently believed to be 0%, though this will definitely change in a few years from now.

Hypothetically speaking, if a Taiwanese couple migrated to Australia in 1973 (the year that the White Australia Policy was abolished) and gave birth to a child in that year, he or she might be able to have 4th-generation grandchildren (which would be the great-grandchildren of the immigrants). For example, if this person had a child in 1993, at the age of 20, and then this child had a child of his/her own in 2013, at the age of 20, then this child would be a 4th-generation Australian, currently roughly aged 5 years old. Of course, this situation is highly unlikely, since Taiwanese couples tend to have children at an older age, such as 25-30. Additionally, the number of Taiwanese immigrants to Australia was very low during the 1970s and it was still quite low during the 1980s.

In this citation , it is said that "in 1976, the Taiwan-born community in Victoria numbered only 83". The fact that only 83 people were born in Victoria within the first 4 years indicates that likely only 300-400 Taiwanese people were born across Australia within those first 4 years. That's about 100 people per year, at the maximum. If these people all had children and grandchildren with only a 20-year gap between each generation, then that would result in a population of roughly 1600 4th-generation Taiwanese Australians. This is assuming two children per family. So, the 2nd-generation Taiwanese Australian will have two children (who will be 3rd-generation), and these two children will each have two children, totaling at four (who will be 4th-generation). All of these supposed 4th-generation children will still be under the age of 5 years.

This is extremely unlikely, since, as previously said, Taiwanese people, at least as of the past 50 years or so, have tended to marry at an older age. Also, this fails to take many other factors into account, such as death, inceldom, emigration, celibacy, homosexuality, or incest. Even though giving birth (and getting married) at the age of 20 was not uncommon for Taiwanese people roughly 80 years ago, the practice has become unpopular in recent years, due to the increasing number of Taiwanese women receiving a substantial education and taking on the traditional paternal role in the family, thus resulting in the women giving birth at an older age or not even marrying. So, a "birth chain" would more accurately look like this: 20 years, 25 years, etc. And this would add up to a total of 45 years, which, when added to 1973, gives 2018. So, we can expect to start seeing some 4th-generation Taiwanese Australians (descended from Taiwanese people who immigrated to Australia in 1973 and gave birth in that year) by 2018, or within five years after that year.

Taiwanese WW2 Prisoners-of-War in Australia

The First Taiwanese Australians

Even though it is exceedingly unlikely that any of the Taiwanese who migrated to Australia in 1973 already have great-grandchildren, there are definitely at least a couple of 4th-generation Taiwanese Australians currently living in Australia, whose ancestors arrived in Australia a few decades earlier.

There are roughly 20 to 200 of these people in total, ranging from 10 to 25 years of age, currently. These people are legally 4th-generation Australians. Their grandparents have possessed Australian (initially British) citizenship from birth, despite the fact that their great-grandparents were not Australian citizens at the time of their grandparents' birth/s. Despite the fact that only three generations of the family have possessed Australian citizenship, these people are still 4th-generation Australians. Up until 1986, Australian citizenship was granted to you if you were born in Australia, but regardless of whether your parents were Australian citizens, thanks to a law known as 'jus soli'. Therefore, these people were able to skip the initial naturalisation process that their parents would have had to go through, had this occurred in the modern day. Other families come from the same lineage as these people, in that their ancestors migrated to Australia at the same time. However, these ancestors did not gain Australian citizenship, and their great-grandchildren are therefore not legally 4th-generation Australians.

Australia's Hidden WW2 Internment Camps for Japanese, Taiwanese, Koreans, and Manchukuans

The ancestors of these 4th-generation Taiwanese Australians were arrested in Dutch Indonesia (Netherlands East Indies) in late-1941, and arrived in Australia by boat in early-1942 as Japanese Prisoners-of-War, in the context of World War II. The arrests were instigated by the Dutch declaration of war against Japan, which occurred in 1941 as a reaction to the Bombing of Pearl Harbour. Civilian POWs were either ethnically descended from Taiwan, or were Taiwanese immigrants/refugees living in Indonesia. These people were specifically targeted because of their ethnicity/nationality, being ethnically Taiwanese, and being Japanese nationals. Military POWs likely originated directly from Taiwan and had fought for Japan in the Imperial Japanese Army. The two groups of POWs were separated from one another. There were probably at least 1000 Taiwanese military POWs, and these people were interned in a heavily-guarded camp. On the other hand, there were were only about 200-400 Taiwanese civilian internees, and these people were interned as family groups with as many as 15 to 20 family members per family.

The Taiwanese civilian POWs were interned in Camp 4 in Tatura, Greater Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. The internment camp also held roughly 700-1000 Japanese civilian POWs. There were also some Koreans in the camp, though they had taken Japanese names. Additionally, there were apparently "Mandschus", aka "Manchus", "Manchurians", or "Manchukuans" in the camp as well, though they would've probably been very low in number. Half of the Japanese civilian POWs had already been living in Australia for a few decades, having migrated to Australia in the late-1800s to work as pearl divers, plantation workers, acrobats (some of the first Japanese people to visit Australia were these acrobats), etc, or they were descended from this lineage and were actually born in Australia. The other half of the Japanese civilian POWs originated from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, New Caledonia (France), New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), or possibly even the South Pacific Mandate. The Koreans and Manchukuans must have had similar origins. Meanwhile, nearly all of the Taiwanese civilian POWs originated from Indonesia.

How many Taiwanese were born in Australia during WW2?

In total, only about 20 Taiwanese people were born in Australia during WW2, in Camp 4 in Tatura. These are the only people to have obtained Australian citizenship out of the entire population of Taiwanese POWs. Everyone who was interned in Australia during WW2 was deported back to their home country in 1946, on either the Tori Maru or the Yoizuki (reported to have carried 1405 Formosan POWs ), which left within days of one another during March 1946. The Tori Maru ship held both Japanese and Taiwanese people, whereas the Yoizuki most likely only held Taiwanese people. Despite originating from Indonesia, all of the Taiwanese POWs were repatriated to Taiwan due to their ethnicity. Some Taiwanese who had been born in the camps, or who had simply lived in the camps, returned to Australia several decades later. The ones who were not born in the camps (ie, they were older) had to naturalise into Australian society, since they did not obtain citizenship during their WW2 internment. However, the 20 Taiwanese people who were born in the camps did not have to naturalise upon returning to Australia, because they had possessed Australian citizenship for their entire lives. These people are some of the first recorded Taiwanese people to have ever obtained Australian citizenship; this citizenship was acquired between 1942 and 1946.

The records of the 1400-2000 Taiwanese people held in Australia are, unfortunately, missing (they might be located in the Netherlands or Taiwan). There is a museum in Tatura which contains all of the records of the Germans, Jews, Italians, and Japanese who were held in the various camps. However, the museum does not have any records of the Taiwanese people. Additionally, most online sources and books written about the camps barely mention the Taiwanese people at all. However, the list of names of all of the 20 Taiwanese people born in Camp 4 is available in the book 'Beyond All Hate', written and compiled by the late James T. Sullivan.

Taiwan during WW2

During WWII, Taiwan served as a southern base of operations for the Japanese military. Taiwan became heavily involved in the war effort, with Taiwanese Aborigines being sent as far south as Papua New Guinea (which was part of Australia) to fight the Allies. Taiwanese Natives also found themselves fighting Chinese, Indians, British, Americans, and other Allied forces in the Southeast Asia region. Most Taiwanese were indistinguishable from a typical Japanese, in the eyes of Allied prisoners-of-war and soldiers, who were unfamiliar with the differences between the East Asian races. This sort of mentality, as well as the fact that the Taiwanese were beginning to convert their names to Japanese, were beginning to become assimilated into Japanese culture, and were even serving Japan as spies (and not just as clueless soldiers), eventually caused the Allies to group the Taiwanese up with the Japanese, along with the Koreans and the Manchukuans.

Taiwan was heavily bombed by the Allies during WW2. Many Taiwanese women were forced into sex slavery during the war. Many Taiwanese men were tricked into volunteering for the Imperial Japanese Army. Taiwanese soldiers were considered 'auxiliary', and most were simply stationed to defend the island of Taiwan or to operate various POW camps across Southeast Asia. It is actually very likely that some of the Taiwanese stationed at Japanese-operated POW camps ended up in the Australian POW camps.

Modern Taiwanese Immigration to Australia

Taiwanese people have only been counted on Australian censuses since 1976 . Taiwanese people were originally classified exactly the same as Chinese people (so you could not easily tell who was Taiwanese), and Taiwan is still classified as a "subregion of China" in Australian censuses. In the 2016 Australian Census, 46,826 people indicated that they were born in Taiwan, but only 18,522 people indicated that they had Taiwanese ancestry. There are almost certainly more ethnically Taiwanese people in Australia than the amount that was born in Taiwan. There should be around 50,000-100,000 Taiwanese people in Australia in total. However, even getting an approximate number for the total Taiwanese people in Australia would be nigh impossible, due to the complicated political status of Taiwan, which ruins census data for Taiwan.

Modern Taiwanese immigration to Australia began in the 1970s, with the abolishment of the White Australia Policy. The first Taiwanese people to ever obtain Australian citizenship were those 20 people born in the WW2 internment camp in Tatura. The Taiwanese in Australia likely numbered less than five hundred by the year 1976, but the population has since expanded to 45,000-55,000 individuals. Most of these people live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, as well as in other major cities. They tend to come from at least middle-class families, and they have high average performance in education and in the workforce.

Taiwanese people in Australia are often mistaken for Mainlander Chinese (and might even mistake themselves for Mainlander Chinese), due to Australia's strict adherence to the 'One China Policy'. There have been instances where the Australian government or other high level organisations have conducted institutionalised discrimination against Taiwanese people (not against Asians as a whole, but just against Taiwanese). For example, murals with the Flag of the Republic of China can legally be painted over and vandalized, based on the rules laid out by the One China Policy. Taiwanese people have also been fired from Chinese convenience stores as a result of saying "I'm from Taiwan" and not "I'm from China".

However, many Australians do have some semblance of awareness for the Taiwanese people's plight, and there is a significant Pro-Taiwan base in Australia, which also tends to overlap with groups which are Anti-CCP or Anti-PRC. Such sentiments in Australia are growing, due to Chinese interference in Australian politics, in the lives of everyday Chinese (and Taiwanese and Hong Kongese) Australians, and in the Australian education system. Additionally, aggressive Chinese activities toward Taiwan and aggressive Chinese behaviour in the South China Sea are beginning to worry some prominent Australian politicians.

In modern Australian society, Taiwanese people have made a good name for themselves, especially due to their famous 'Bubble tea' parlours, which are a favourite of Asians from all backgrounds. Bubble Tea, also known as 'Boba', is very popular amongst the young Mainlander Chinese immigrants, which probably indicates that hostilities between the Chinese and Taiwanese governments are not reflected as strongly in Australia. Taiwanese Bubble tea is sometimes erroneous claimed as a 'Chinese invention', by people who recognise Taiwan as a province of China, or who don't know better.

Still, Mainlander Chinese Australians outnumber the Taiwanese Australians at least 20 to 1. Therefore, the Taiwanese are always in the shadow of the Mainlander Chinese even in Australia, and young Taiwanese Australians are greatly influenced by young Mainlander Chinese. These two groups of people generally live in the same suburbs in the major cities, hang out in similar areas around the city (such as specific shopping malls), and also tend to attend the same high schools. Therefore, young Taiwanese Australians are always surrounded by young Mainlander Chinese Australians.

Immigrants vs. native-born

First generation immigrants from Taiwan usually share a common language, Mandarin, although many also speak Taiwanese Hokkien, commonly referred to as "Taiwanese", and to a lesser extent, Taiwanese Hakka. As with most immigrants to Australia, linguistic fluency in the heritage language quickly disappears in the second generation. Many second generation Taiwanese Australians are exposed to Taiwanese, but their level of proficiency varies. Many second generation immigrants speak Taiwanese as their heritage language and may not know any Mandarin. This is typical for many overseas Taiwanese. There are also second generation Taiwanese, especially whose families are from the Taipei Metropolitan Area, who speak Mandarin as their heritage language and know little Taiwanese. Mandarin or Taiwanese as the heritage language, however, depends on parents, and whether the individuals are exposed to Mandarin through Taiwanese Mandarin schools. Second generation Taiwanese of Hakka descent tend to speak better Mandarin as their heritage language. There are many first generation Taiwanese of full Hakka heritage who may speak all three languages. Taiwanese Australians of mixed Hoklo and Hakka Heritage may speak only Taiwanese Mandarin as their heritage language. Second Generation Taiwanese who are of mixed Hoklo Taiwanese and Waisheng Taiwanese (or other Chinese) heritage may only know Taiwanese Mandarin at most and not a word of Taiwanese.

Settlement

Brisbane remains as Australia's top Taiwanese settling city with Sydney and Melbourne coming in close.

See also

• Taiwanese people
• Demographics of Australia
• Chinese Australians
• Taiwanese Canadians
• Taiwanese Americans

References

1. "2016 Census Community Profiles: Australia". Quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
2. "Taiwan museum of prehistoric culture-The Prehistory of Taiwan". en.nmp.gov.tw. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
3. News, Taiwan. "Birthplace of Austronesians is Taiwan, capita..." Taiwan News. Retrieved 20 December 2018. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
4. "A Minority within a Minority: Cultural Survival on Taiwan's Orchid Island". www.culturalsurvival.org. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
5. "New Zealand's long-lost Taiwanese cuzzies". Stuff. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
6. "It's official: Admiral Zheng beat Cook to Australia". The Age. 25 November 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
7. "Origins: History of immigration from Taiwan - Immigration Museum, Melbourne Australia". museumsvictoria.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
8. "SYDNEY, NSW. 1946-03-06. THE JAPANESE DESTROYER YOIZUKI WHICH IS TO REPATRIATE 1405 FORMOSAN POWS ..." www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
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v t e Asian Australians
Central Asia	Afghan Hazara Kazakh Kyrgyz Pathan Tatar Tajik Turkmen Uzbek Uyghur
East Asia	Chinese Fuzhou/Hokchiu Hakka Hoklo Hong Konger Tibetan Japanese Korean Mongolian Taiwanese
South Asia	Bangladeshi Bengali Bhutanese Indian Indo-Fijian Bengali Gujarati Malayali Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Telugu Maldivian Nepalese Pakistani Baloch Pashtun Punjabi Sindhi Sri Lankan Tamil
Southeast Asia	Burmese Mon Chin Cambodian East Timorese Filipino Hmong Indonesian Javanese Madurese Sundanese Acehnese Balinese Karen Laotian Malaysian Bruneian Kadazan Temoq Mien Singaporean Thai Vietnamese
History	General Immigration
Topics	Organized crime Politics Stereotypes East Asians South Asians
According to Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) Category Commons

v t e Ancestry of Australians
Ancestral background of Australian citizens
Indigenous	Aboriginal Australians Torres Strait Islanders
Africa	Angolan Beninese Burundian Cameroonian Congolese Eritrean Ethiopian Gabonese Gambian Ghanaian Guinean Ivorian Kenyan Liberian Malawian Malian Mauritian Nigerian Rwandan Senegalese Sierra Leonean South African Tanzanian Togolese Ugandan Zambian Zimbabwean
Americas	American Canadian Caribbean and West Indian Australian Hispanic and Latin American Argentine Bolivian Brazilian Chilean Colombian Cuban Ecuadorian Guatemalan Honduran Mexican Panamanian Paraguayan Peruvian Puerto Rican Salvadoran Uruguayan Venezuelan Jamaican Trinidadian and Tobagonian
Asia	Afghan Hazara Pashtun Armenian Azerbaijani Bangladeshi Bengali Bhutanese Burmese Chin Karen Mon Cambodian Chinese Hmong Hong Kong Cantonese Mien Taiwanese Hakka Fuzhou/Hokchiu Hoklo Tibetan Uyghur East Timorese Filipino Georgian Indian Bengali Gujarati Indo-Fijian Malayali Punjabi Sindhi Tamil Telugu Indonesian Acehnese Balinese Javanese Madurese Sundanese Japanese Kazakh Korean Kyrgyz Laotian Malaysian Bruneian Kadazan Temoq Maldivian Mongolian Nepali Pakistani Baloch Hazara Pashtun Punjabi Sindhi Pathan Singaporean Sri Lankan Tamil Tajik Tatar Thai Turkmen Uzbek Vietnamese Hmong Mien
Europe	Albanian Anglo-Celtic Cornish English Irish Northern Irish Scottish Welsh Austrian Belgian Belarusian Bosnian Bulgarian Croatian Cypriot Czech Danish Dutch Estonian French Finnish German Greek Hungarian Icelandic Italian Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Maltese Montenegrin Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romani Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovene Spanish Swedish Swiss Ukrainian
Middle East and North Africa	Arab Algerian Bahraini Egyptian Emirati Iraqi Jordanian Kuwaiti Lebanese Libyan Moroccan Palestinian Saudi Somali Syrian Tunisian Assyrian Bari Berber Coptic Chaldean Darfur Dinka Iranian Israeli/Jewish Kurdish Mandaean Nubian Nuer South Sudanese Sudanese Turkish Yezidi
Oceania	Fijian Indo-Fijian Niuean Ni-Vanuatu New Zealander Māori Papua New Guinean Samoan South Sea Islander Tongan
according to Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013 and Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016

• Immigration to Australia
• Australian people of Taiwanese descent
• Taiwanese diaspora by country
• Asian Australian