Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China

This article is about the PRC's claimed province which it does not control. For the actual Taiwan Province controlled by the Republic of China, see Taiwan Province. For the meaning and use of the term "Taiwan, China", see Taiwan, China.

"Taiwan Province" (simplified Chinese: 台湾省; traditional Chinese: 臺灣省 or 台灣省; pinyin: Táiwān shěng) is a term and political designation used by the Communist government of People's Republic of China (PRC) for its claim of Taiwan and associated islets as its own province and part of its national territory.

In contrast with the Taiwan Province of the Republic of China, which excludes several direct-controlled municipalities on the island of Taiwan, the area claimed by the PRC as its Taiwan Province includes the entire island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including the Penghu islands, under administration of the Republic of China (ROC). Therefore, the PRC has no actual control of the territory and the term is a purely hypothetical province which does not exist in reality but only under official PRC government administrative structure. It is often referred to as "Taiwan, China" by PRC media for short but also as a means to portray Taiwan as being under its sovereignty.

The claimed Taiwan Province of the PRC does not include all the landmasses under ROC's administration. These islands, namely, Kinmen, the Matsu Islands and Wuciou, as well the Pratas Islands, and Itu Aba, are claimed by the PRC as part of its Fujian, Guangdong, and Hainan provinces, respectively.

The political status of Taiwan is complex and the area has never been controlled by the PRC. Taiwan has been controlled by the ROC since 1945. The PRC considers itself as the successor state and the sole legitimate authority of China against the ROC upon its founding in 1949, and regards Taiwan as a part of an "indivisible China".

Representation

Thirteen delegates are elected to the National People's Congress to represent Taiwan Province. These delegates have Hokkien and Holo ancestry whose ancestors were in Taiwan at some point, and are elected by a constituency comprising people with Taiwanese ancestry, not by present residents of Taiwan. As the older members retire or die, newer members tend to be born in mainland China.

See also

• "Taiwan, China"
• Free Area of the Republic of China
• Taiwan Affairs Office
• Political status of Taiwan
• Legal status of Taiwan
• Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China#Offer to Taiwan and other ROC-controlled areas
• Greater China

Further reading

• Bush, R. & O'Hanlon, M. (2007). A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-98677-1
• Bush, R. (2006). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-1290-1
• Carpenter, T. (2006). America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6841-1
• Cole, B. (2006). Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-36581-3
• Copper, J. (2006). Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 0-275-98888-0
• Federation of American Scientists et al. (2006). Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning
• Gill, B. (2007). Rising Star: China's New Security Diplomacy. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0-8157-3146-9
• Shirk, S. (2007). China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-530609-0
• Tsang, S. (2006). If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-40785-0
• Tucker, N.B. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13564-5

External links

• Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council