Taiwan is a major country. It ranks fifth in the World Economic Forum's 2005-2006 Growth Competitiveness Index. Of 117 countries rated, Taiwan is behind only Finland, the US, Sweden and Denmark, and takes the top spot in Asia, ahead of sixth-ranked Singapore.

In total US patents, Taiwan solidly occupies third place worldwide, holding 264 patents for every 1 million citizens in 2004.

In the national competitiveness ranking of the International Monetary Fund, Taiwan's achievement is equally eye-catching. In 2005 it ranked eleventh, its highest ranking of the last five years, and its business efficiency ranked sixth.

Taiwan's achievements in culture and sports also earn it a seat at the table. In 2006 US-based Taiwan director Ang Lee won an Oscar as Best Director for Brokeback Mountain, the first ever for an Asian director. Sadaharu Oh (Chinese name Wang Chen-chih), who in late March led the Japanese national baseball team to the championship of the World Baseball Classic, also carries an ROC passport.

Regrettably, against the reality of its status as a major country, Taiwan has the image of a small country. At meetings of international organizations such as the World Health Organization or the UN General Assembly, Taiwan can only weakly voice its appeals using anemic PR material (the name Republic of China may not appear, neither may the flag or the title of any official). Private protests at such events are quickly suppressed.

There is a huge gap between image and reality. The reason is simple. Allowed no room to present itself on the normal international stage, Taiwan can only rely on a few negative and contentious news items to squeeze its way into the pages of the international media. No wonder foreigners are either ignorant of Taiwan or have a poor impression of it.

The unfairness of Taiwan's international treatment has to be experienced firsthand to really be understood. This includes this month's special feature "Showing Taiwan to the World." When we asked some countries for permission to use their national symbols in our report, the response was, "This is our official symbol. Sorry, but we cannot authorize its appearance in Taiwan!"

What's the logic behind this? Affluent, friendly, peaceful, industrious, dynamic Taiwan is an international pariah? Even worse, the long-term isolation and negation, as well as the circuitous measures employed to get around this absurd isolation, have all increasingly led to confusion and loss of focus over Taiwan's identity, both internally and externally. We currently find ourselves with a major "identity crisis."

In truth, the campaign to "Show Taiwan to the World" is all about national self-healing through a search for identity. Selecting images to represent Taiwan was a projection of our collective psyche, and five major images readily emerged. Cultural and naturalistic images were equally represented, and now each of us can choose our own preference. On this basis, a unique and distinctive symbol will be created for use in the international arena.

Taiwan is working hard to create an image and identity, yet cultivating our national strength must still be the top priority. This month we look into the kinds of businesses being started by 25-35-year-olds, those children of the 1970s who are still in the first phase of their lives. We discover that although young people are full of ideas, a trend toward creating micro-enterprises with a focus on domestic demand is very evident.

Seen in the best light, young entrepreneurs differ from those of the past whose businesses were driven by overseas markets and who sacrificed personal and societal interests to survive amid cutthroat international price competition. At worst, the situation seems to presage a younger generation without sufficient ambition to compete globally. Fortunately, to nurture an international perspective among young people, the government in recent years has encouraged study abroad. Last year over 32,000 Taiwanese were studying in eight major countries, the highest number ever.

Taking a long-term perspective, today's world for young people affects the nation's future 20 years from now--and Taiwan's international image and position 20 years from now are tied to today's struggle being waged by the middle-aged generation. We can only hope that both generations will remain conscientious of their responsibilities and that Taiwan will not only remain strong, but will one day have an image befitting its true strength.