What is 'Taiwan independence' and is Taiwan already independent?
EWT•Taiwan has de facto independence, with its own elected leaders, territory, military, passport and currency, though most countries do not formally recognize it. China claims Taiwan and says it will not renounce the use of force to bring the island under its control.
1. Taiwan’s status
The Republic of China government moved its capital to Taiwan in 1949, and Republic of China remains the island’s formal name. Taiwan’s people elect their own leaders, and its government controls territory with its own military, passport and currency. Taiwan’s government says the Republic of China is a sovereign state and that Beijing has no right to represent it; China claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
2. China and the US
The United States severed official ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979, but the Taiwan Relations Act requires it to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The US officially takes no position on Taiwan’s sovereignty and has maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” about whether it would defend the island in an attack. China has repeatedly demanded that the US end arms sales to Taiwan.
3. Possible name change
Declaring a “Republic of Taiwan” would require a constitutional amendment approved by at least 75% of lawmakers, followed by a referendum. The Democratic Progressive Party and Kuomintang currently have equal numbers of seats, and the KMT opposes changing the name Republic of China. President Lai Ching-te has said his earlier description of himself as a “practical worker for Taiwan independence” meant that Taiwan is already independent.
