Is Taiwan called republic of China ?
Yes, Taiwan's official name is the Republic of China, though that name carries a complicated history that makes it different from what it sounds like.
Here's the answer from Mary's digital twin. The gray check mark turns green once Mary has confirmed it.
Taiwan, the self-governing island in East Asia, formally calls itself the Republic of China (ROC). That name dates to 1912, when the Republic of China was founded on the mainland after the fall of the imperial Qing dynasty. It governed all of mainland China until 1949, when the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, won the civil war and established the People's Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. The defeated ROC government, led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang party, retreated to the island of Taiwan and continued to govern there under the Republic of China name.
So you end up with two governments, both once claiming to be the legitimate government of all of China, both called something with "China" in the name, and both occupying the same island versus mainland split to this day.
Why the name creates confusion
The People's Republic of China, based in Beijing, is what the world means when it simply says "China," the government that holds the United Nations seat, the permanent Security Council seat, and the diplomatic relationships with nearly every country on earth. The Republic of China, based in Taipei, governs the island of Taiwan and a handful of smaller territories, but only about 12 countries formally recognize it as a state.
Many people in Taiwan today, particularly younger generations, identify as Taiwanese rather than Chinese, and there is an active political debate on the island about whether to formally change the name entirely. The ROC name persists partly because formally declaring independence under a new name could trigger a military response from the PRC, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
The short version
Taiwan and the Republic of China are the same thing, the same government on the same island. The name is a historical artifact from before the Communist revolution on the mainland, and it sits at the center of one of the most delicate diplomatic tangles in the world.
Follow-ups
Taiwan is a self-governing island in East Asia, officially called the Republic of China, and it is a hot topic because it sits at the collision point of three forces: a sovereignty dispute that could trigger war, a semiconductor industry the whole world depends on, and a US-China rivalry that shapes every major geopolitical decision being made right now.
Read that one firstUnderstand the world's most consequential disputes before they reshape your industry.
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