Proper noun

the Republic of China

1. The de facto country with its government now on Taiwan and other islands. Its Capital was Nanking in 1912-1949, then is Taipei now.

Synonyms

• (the de facto country, not applicable before 1949): Chinese Taipei, Taiwan

The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia comprising the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor islands located off the east coast of mainland China. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.

The founding of the Republic of China began on 10 October 1911 as the Wuchang Uprising and was formally established in 1 January 1912. It encompassed mainland China and between the years 1919 to 1921, Outer Mongolia. At the end of World War II, with the surrender of Japan, the Republic of China took over the island groups of Taiwan and Penghu from the Japanese Empire.

In 1927, a Civil War broke out between the the Kuomintang (KMT), the then leading party of the ROC, and the Communist Party of China (CPC) for the control of China. The Communists eventually defeated the Nationalists in mainland China in 1949 but their advance was stopped at Kinmen during the Battle of Kuningtou. As of a result, the Taiwan Area became the extent of the Republic of China's jurisdiction with Taipei as its provisional capital. Meanwhile, in mainland China, the victorious Communist party founded the People's Republic of China. During the early Cold War however the ROC was still recognized by many states and the United Nations as the sole legitimate government of both mainland China and Taiwan. It was a founding member of the United Nations and one of the five permanent members of the Security Council until 1971, when it was replaced by the PRC via UN General Assembly Resolution 2758.

The PRC regards the ROC as an illegitimate state; it seeks to unify Taiwan with mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau and is ready to use force if necessary. In contrast, the Republic of China rejects PRC's claim and views itself as a sovereign state. This tension between the two states colors most of the political life in Taiwan, and any attempt at declaring "formal independence" is met with threats from the PRC. The PRC refuses to have diplomatic relations with countries which recognize the Republic of China; thus, as of 2010, only 23 of the 203 sovereign states have formal diplomatic relations with the ROC.

Initially a single-party state, the Republic of China evolved into a democratic state during the 1980s without widespread conflict. It has a semi-presidential system and universal suffrage. The president serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Legislative Yuan is the country's legislature. The ROC is a member of the WTO and APEC. It is one of the Four Asian Tigers, and has an industrialized advanced economy. The 26th-largest economy in the world, its advanced technology industry plays a key role in the global economy. The ROC is ranked high in terms of freedom of the press, health care, public education and economic freedom.