Taiwan and larger than Belgium. The island of Taiwan has an area of , and lies some from the southeastern coast of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait. The East China Sea lies to the north, the Philippine Sea to the east, the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait directly to the south, and the South China Sea to the southwest. Its shape is similar to a sweet potato, giving rise to the slang term "hanji" ("sweet potato" in Hokkien) used by Taiwanese Hokkien speakers to refer to people of native Taiwanese descent. The island is characterized by the contrast between
Under the Roof of One China Under the Roof of One China Under the Roof of One China is a political principle introduced by James Soong in regard to the relationship between Taiwan and the World Health Organization. In 2003, during the 2004 Republic of China presidential election campaign, both Mainland China and Taiwan had an epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) at the same time. Taiwan, being one of the most endemic areas, did not receive advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) because the People's Republic of China represents the 23 million people of Taiwan in WHO and forbids the Taiwan government's participation