Is Taiwan really part of China or not?
At present, the nation of "China" is represented by two separate authorities: the Republic of China (commonly referred to as Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (in mainland China and commonly referred to as just China). During the aftermath of World War II, infighting on the Chinese mainland resumed, with the Republic of China government (established in 1912 as the successor to the Qing Dynasty) relocating to Taiwan, and the group led by Mao Zedong (毛澤東) creating the People's Republic of China. To this day, the PRC has control over mainland China, while the ROC has control over Taiwan island, the Penghu archipelago, and minor islands Kinmen and Matsu, while each government claims sovereignty over the whole of "China".
Simply put, the PRC claims Taiwan to be part of the PRC as it believes itself to be the successor state to the ROC (which it views as losing the civil war), and the still-present ROC (on Taiwan) views the PRC as an illegal state currently occupying the mainland of China.
As each government claims there is only one China (known as the 1992 Consensus), pressure has been put on the international community to choose whether the PRC or ROC is the sole representative of the Chinese nation. At present, the large majority of the world has official diplomatic relations with Beijing while still retaining economic and cultural ties with Taipei. Note that while Taipei has long accepted the mainland's secession from the ROC to create the PRC and is accommodating of two-state recognition may it occur (similar to the situation between North and South Korea), Beijing is adamantly against this as it refuses to accept Taiwan's sovereignty and holds steady in its belief of a "one China" firmly under communist Beijing with no room for the democratic ROC. Please be aware when visiting Taiwan you will not have embassy or consular protection unless you hold the passport of one of the 12 countries that have diplomatic relations with the ROC. That being said, most countries have economic and cultural exchange offices which serve as un-official embassies, providing most consular services. Countries such as the United States provide consular services in Taiwan through a non-profit organisation called the American Institute in Taiwan (美國在台協會). AIT officials are appointed by the US State Department in a manner similar to other embassy staff, according to the Taiwan Relations Act which categorises Taiwan as a country for US government procedures, and provides defence assistance in the event of a military altercation with the PRC. Abroad, the ROC is most commonly represented by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO or TECRO) and is commonly referred to within international organisations as "Chinese Taipei" at the behest of the PRC government. Recently, American politicians from both sides of the aisle have been advocating for improved ties with and official recognition of Taiwan, and relations between both governments have been improving throughout both the Trump and Biden administrations with American continued commitment to Taiwan's defence aid and assistance obtaining COVID vaccines. Neighboring Japan and South Korea have expressed support for maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait in the face of Chinese aggression, and Taiwan's high-tech exports such as semi-conductors are unrivaled and in hot demand.
So, back to the question of whether Taiwan is part of China or not.
Taiwan is part of its own definition of a democratic China under the ROC with Taipei as its capital, and not part of China under the definition of the PRC in Beijing.
Does this mean Taiwan is independent?
Yes and no. The government operating on Taiwan is a self-sustaining, fully functional, democratically-elected government unrelated to Beijing with its own economy, currency, etc. Whether or not Taiwan is an independent "country" is a very large grey area which cannot possibly be covered in the scope of this article, however it is important to note that Taiwan has been governed separately from mainland China since 1949 when the ROC government relocated to the island after military defeat by the communists, and locally governed since the 1980s (as opposed to politicians from mainland China who fled to Taiwan).
What's most important for visitors to understand is that visiting Taiwan from a legal and visa standpoint is that it is different from mainland China. Laws are different, visa regulations are different in that Taiwan offers visa-free entry to many countries (unlike the PRC), customs regulations are different, and Taiwan uses its own currency, the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$, code TWD) and not the renminbi or Hong Kong Dollar. Culturally, the two regions have been diverging since 1949, Taiwan following democratic principles while supporting human rights and freedom of speech and religion, and the mainland following Marxist-Leninist principles with a large degree of social control. Those interested in traditional Chinese culture may find visiting Taiwan more fulfilling.
By many standards, Taiwan is more advanced due to its free-market economy and high-performing industries, and the people are famous for being polite and well-mannered with an overall higher education quality and English proficiency, especially around Taipei and with younger Taiwanese. Less frustrations are experienced in Taiwan with regard to daily tasks, as infrastructure is highly developed, so there are no worries about transit services, bank and currency exchange, utilities, open internet, or interactions with authorities, and the better environment is a result of the Taiwanese passion for recycling and conservation. Due to open-market trade with its neighbors by large ports in Kaohsiung and Keelung/Taipei, Taiwan offers a wider selection of international products (without exorbitant taxes), and in return exports High-IT OEM products and machinery to the world. As one of the "four Asian tigers", Taiwan's economic growth propelled the island forward toward its democratic dawn in the late 1980s, and today is a multi-party, full democracy.
The media in Taiwan is different from mainland China in that while media content is contained in mainland China, Taiwanese media thrives, and is the base for the Mandarin Chinese Pop Music industry, as well as a major regional hub for production of Chinese-language media. While the local film industry has recently been underperforming due to increasing Hollywood competition, the media industry as a whole looks across the strait to the large Chinese market, who has become the largest consumer of Taiwanese media. Recent investments from Chinese entities in Taiwanese media have introduced mainland programming to Taiwan, as well as changes in news reporting.
Economic interests have complicated the relationship across the strait, and the situation grows more complex as the original participants in the conflict have long passed on.
Taiwan is severely limited in its diplomatic capacity as well as its ability to participate in international organisations and events due to the ongoing conflict with the PRC. Most notably, the Taiwanese Olympic Team must compete under the ambiguous name "Chinese Taipei" and use an alternate flag and anthem, and more recently has been declined admission to events such as the World Health Assembly (even though Taiwanese scientists and officials were major contributors to containing the SARS endemic), and private citizens have been declined visitation entry to UN facilities.
What do Taiwanese people think?
Since the Republic of China is a democracy, the people living on Taiwan have the right to form their own opinions with regard to politics and elect leaders which represent their interests. While the majority of Taiwanese will identify as a 'Taiwanese national' at the moment, this does not necessarily signify their allegiance or resistance to their current situation of colonized/occupied rule by the ROC. Many Taiwanese feel Taiwan is 'already independent', in the sense that during the over 70 year rule of the ROC on Taiwan, the ROC has 'transformed' into a fully local Taiwanese government with zero influence from Beijing, especially when considering the loss of rule over the mainland of China and the fact that most citizens of the ROC are Taiwanese or have immigrated to the island and assumed residency there after the cessation of Japanese rule in 1945.
While some would like to remove all vestiges of the ROC government and become solely 'Taiwan', there are also patriotic supporters of the ROC government who wish for the mainland to become ruled by the democratic ROC regime once again. Some Taiwanese may also support a return of the ROC government back to China and then eventual Taiwanese independence under a new government. There are other ROC citizens in areas such as Kinmen and Matsu who may or may not be considered 'Taiwanese' in the sense that those territories are located very close to the mainland, and may not share any sentiments with the independence or localism movements in Taiwan. In reality, most Taiwanese will actively support the 'status-quo', which is continued existence of the present ROC government due to continuing threats from the PRC against any major governmental reforms on the island or deviation from the 'one China policy' (under which most other countries 'acknowledge' the PRC's position that it asserts Taiwan to be part of PRC China). Supporters of 'unification' with the mainland under the communist PRC regime are a rare find and may be motivated by commercial interests or personal benefit rather than ideology.
Where can I learn more?
Chinese history and China as a nation has been said to exist for over five thousand years. It is impossible to ignore the subtle cultural and historical influence upon the current political situation. If you really wish to understand the situation, try learning more about Taiwan island's history, and its development through each colonial rule (Dutch, Spanish, etc.) until the present. Also learn more about the Qing Dynasty, Chinese Civil War between the Kuomintang party (國民黨, KMT) and Communist party (共產黨, CCP), the Japanese occupation of various Chinese territories, and post World War II Asia (as in Japan's surrender and what happened to their territories) to get a more full picture of Taiwan. Although Taiwan was only discovered in 1544 by the Portuguese who named it Ilha Formosa (福爾摩沙), the island has gone through incredible social, economic, and cultural changes as it was handed from one power to the next in only a few short hundred years, not to mention the rich Aboriginal culture of the native people of Taiwan, much of which still remains today.
More articles on GuideToTaipei.com about Taiwan's history: