Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taiwan Province of the People's Republic of China (simplified Chinese: 台湾省; traditional Chinese: 臺灣省 or 台灣省; pinyin: Táiwān shěng) is a proposed province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), covering the entirety of the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including the Pescadores. The PRC has never controlled any of this territory, which is currently part of the Republic of China (ROC). The People's Republic of China claims that Taiwan is part of China, that the PRC succeeded the ROC as the sole legitimate authority in China upon its founding in 1949, and that the ROC currently in Taiwan does not exist legitimately (see Political status of Taiwan). The argument that Taiwan is part of China is disputed by many people in Taiwan (see Taiwan Independence). The arguments that the PRC succeede the ROC and that the ROC is illegitimate are disputed and rejected by the Republic of China which maintains that the ROC is a sovereign nation compelled to separate from the mainland during the Chinese Civil War following World War II.
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[edit] Divisions
The island of Taiwan is currently governed by the Republic of China government. The ROC divides the island of Taiwan into the direct-controlled municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, and the Province of Taiwan. Both Taipei and Kaohsiung were separated by the ROC from Taiwan Province after the ROC lost control of mainland China to the PRC in 1949.
The official borders and divisions of Taiwan recognized by the People's Republic of China government are those that existed in 1949. The PRC has not acknowledged any changes made post-1949 by the ROC. Thus, the elevation of Taipei and Kaohsiung to be provincial-level cities have not been recognized by the PRC, and both cities appear as part of Taiwan Province in publications issued by the PRC. Also, the PRC still regards Taipei as the capital city of Taiwan Province, instead of Jhongsing Village. This is similar to the ROC's former practice of drawing maps depicting mainland borders the way they were in 1949 before the communist takeover.
Both the PRC and the ROC regard the Diaoyutai (Senkaku) Islands, administered by Japan and claimed by the PRC and ROC, as a part of their own respective Taiwan Provinces.
Officially speaking, the PRC does not recognize any of the subdivisions created by the ROC in Taiwan, including counties and provincial cities.
[edit] Terminology
The term "Taiwan Province" is used by the People's Republic of China to refer to Taiwan. The PRC state press commonly uses the term "China's Taiwan province" to refer to Taiwan and "the Taiwan authority" to refer to the ROC government. Because ISO English country names and code elements also refer to Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China", so do certain web-based postal address programs.
The ROC government also controls some areas that both the PRC and ROC do not consider to be part of the Province of Taiwan. This includes Kinmen and Lienchiang counties, administered as part of Fujian province by the ROC, and also officially regarded as part of Fujian by the PRC due to its historical status as being part of Fujian. Thus, these two counties are excluded from ISO 3166-2:TW ("Taiwan, Province of China"). The ROC also controls the Pratas and Taiping in the disputed South China Sea Islands. The ROC administers these territories as part of Kaohsiung municipality. The PRC regards the former as a part of Guangdong province and the latter as a part of Hainan province, not Taiwan province, and they are likewise excluded from ISO 3166-2.
[edit] Representation
Thirteen delegates are elected to the National People's Congress to represent Taiwan Province. These delegates have Taiwanese ancestry, and are elected by a constituency comprising people with Taiwanese ancestry, not by present residents of Taiwan. As the older members retire or pass away, newer members tend to be born in mainland China.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Bush, R. & O'Hanlon, M. (2007). A War Like No Other: The Truth About China's Challenge to America. Wiley. ISBN 0471986771
- Bush, R. (2006). Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait. Brookings Institution Press. ISBN 0815712901
- Carpenter, T. (2006). America's Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1403968411
- Cole, B. (2006). Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects. Routledge. ISBN 0415365813
- Copper, J. (2006). Playing with Fire: The Looming War with China over Taiwan. Praeger Security International General Interest. ISBN 0275988880
- 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 0815731469
- Shirk, S. (2007). China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195306090
- Tsang, S. (2006). If China Attacks Taiwan: Military Strategy, Politics and Economics. Routledge. ISBN 0415407850
- Tucker, N.B. (2005). Dangerous Strait: the U.S.-Taiwan-China Crisis. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231135645
[edit] External links
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