ABSTRACT
Although the People's Republic of China (PRC) is now considered to be China, its predecessor before 1949 was the Republic of China (ROC) under the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Party and President Chiang Kai-shek. After they lost the Civil War with the Communists, the Chiang Kai-shek regime withdrew to the island of Taiwan, where the ROC still exists today in an altered form. However, despite the loss of control over the Mainland, the ROC represented China in the UN Security Council until 1971 as one of the victorious states of World War II and as a result of the United States and many other states failing to recognize the Communist government in Beijing as China's legitimate representative. After 1971, however, Taiwan found itself more and more in international isolation – it lost its membership in the UN and today maintains diplomatic relations with only 14 small states. Taiwan has its own government, parliament, currency, army, and control over its borders. The Taiwanese passport is also widely recognized. So why does China still insist that Taiwan is one of its provinces?
