What's in
a Name?

Taiwan has three names.
None of them were chosen.

On its passport: Republic of China. At the Olympics: "Chinese Taipei." In people's hearts: Taiwan. For everyone who's ever had to explain Taiwan.

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The Name
What if this logic applied to your country?
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4 Names
Four names. Not one chosen by Taiwan.
📜
History
6,000 years of identity, from indigenous peoples to democracy.
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Data
Democracy, press freedom, semiconductors — by the numbers.
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🇹🇼
CALL ME TAIWAN
not "Chinese Taipei"
A Naming Question

What if we applied
the same logic elsewhere?

🇹🇼
Is this name fair?
Taiwan
Chinese Taipei ←Used in Olympics & international bodies — but who chose it?
The Identity Paradox

Four names.
None chosen.

Taiwan is called four different things — depending on who is speaking, and what they want. Not one of these names was freely chosen by the Taiwanese people. Understanding the difference between them is the first step to understanding Taiwan's situation.

On the passport
Republic
of China
A name from 1912, carried to Taiwan in 1949 by a government that lost a civil war. Changing it risks triggering a military crisis with Beijing. Not chosen — inherited.
Est. 1912 · Historical burden · Never voted on
At the Olympics
"Chinese
Taipei"
Imposed in 1981 under IOC pressure from Beijing. Taiwan was expelled and forced to accept this name just to compete. A city name used in place of a country.
Imposed 1981 · IOC · Chosen by Beijing, not Taiwan
In global institutions & commerce
"Taiwan,
Province of China"
Two versions of the same claim. In some UN agencies, WHO, and ISO databases: "Taiwan, Province of China" — a label pushed by Beijing through institutional pressure, now contested by the EU Parliament, Australia, Czech Republic and others. On airline booking systems and online forms: "Taiwan, China" — companies comply under threat of losing Chinese market access. A sovereignty claim disguised as punctuation — and a battle still being fought.
Contested by EU, Australia, Czech Republic · Still used in some UN agencies · Airlines & forms under pressure
In people's hearts
Taiwan
What most people on the island call themselves. Over 60% identify as Taiwanese — not Chinese. A living identity with no official international status. The only name that actually fits.
Always existed · Suppressed for decades · Still not official

So why doesn't Taiwan just change its name?

  • 01
    Beijing has declared that any formal move toward independence — including a name change — would be treated as a trigger for military action. Taiwan lives under this threat permanently.
  • 02
    Taiwan's constitution still officially names the state "Republic of China." Amending it requires a referendum. A referendum on the name is itself considered a provocation by Beijing — and by some of Taiwan's diplomatic allies who fear escalation.
  • 03
    Many countries quietly prefer the status quo — "Chinese Taipei" lets them trade with both sides without choosing. Taiwan's naming problem is partly sustained by other nations' economic self-interest.
  • 04
    Taiwan was only admitted back to the Olympics in 1981 under "Chinese Taipei." Challenging this risks expulsion from international competitions — soft power Taiwan cannot afford to lose.
  • 05
    Beyond "Chinese Taipei," there are two further naming weapons. In some UN agencies, WHO, and ISO: "Taiwan, Province of China" — a label resulting from Beijing's institutional pressure, not a settled legal fact. Resolution 2758 never mentioned Taiwan's status — but China has used it to push this language into international bodies. The EU Parliament, Australia, and others are now pushing back. Meanwhile in airline booking systems and online forms: "Taiwan, China" — companies comply under threat of losing Chinese market access. In 2018, Beijing pressured over 40 airlines. Most complied within weeks.

How precise is the "Chinese" in "Chinese Taipei"?

Ottoman Empire → Greece
Ruled Athens for 400 years. Would "Ottoman Athens" be acceptable today?
→
"Ottoman Athens"
Qing Dynasty → Taiwan
Ruled Taiwan 1683–1895. Would "Qing Taipei" at least make historical sense?
→
"Qing Taipei"?
PRC → Taiwan
Has never governed Taiwan for a single day. So where does "Chinese Taipei" come from?
→
"Chinese Taipei"?
↩ Logic Reversed: Mongols → China
Built Beijing, ruled China for ~100 years. By China's own logic — "Mongolian Beijing"?
→
"Mongolian Beijing"?
What would make sense?
A name reflecting the island's actual government, people, and identity.
→
Taiwan?
A question worth sitting with
Imagine your country had four names simultaneously — one from a lost civil war, one imposed by a sports committee, one being pushed into international institutions by your neighbour's political pressure, and one that everyone actually uses but no government officially recognises. Would you consider that fair? That is Taiwan's reality, every single day.
Taiwan History

6,000 years
of identity

~4000 BCE – 1624Indigenous
The First Peoples
Taiwan's 16 officially recognised indigenous peoples — Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun and others — have inhabited the island for at least 6,000 years. Linguistic evidence suggests Taiwan may be the ancestral homeland of all Austronesian peoples, stretching from Madagascar to Hawaii.
16 PeoplesAustronesian Origin6000+ Years
1624 – 1662Dutch & Spanish
European Colonisation
The Dutch East India Company established Fort Zeelandia in 1624. Spain briefly held the north (1626–1642). The Dutch introduced large-scale Han Chinese migration — the beginning of Taiwan's multi-ethnic character. First time Taiwan appears as a distinct territory in European records.
VOC / Fort ZeelandiaHan Migration BeginsTrade Hub
1662 – 1683Ming Loyalists
The Ming Loyalist Kingdom
Koxinga expelled the Dutch and used Taiwan as a base to resist the Qing dynasty on the mainland. Taiwan became — for the first of many times — a refuge for those resisting mainland rule. A pattern that would repeat in 1949.
KoxingaDutch ExpelledAnti-Qing Resistance
1683 – 1895Qing Dynasty
Qing Administration
The Qing incorporated Taiwan in 1683. It became a full province only in 1887 — just 8 years before China ceded it to Japan. Over 100 uprisings against Qing rule were recorded. Worth noting: the Qing Dynasty is not the PRC. This is the only Chinese dynasty that ever governed Taiwan — so when we say "Chinese Taipei," which "China" does that refer to?
Prefecture of FujianProvince 1887100+ UprisingsCeded to Japan 1895
1895 – 1945Empire of Japan
Japanese Rule
China ceded Taiwan to Japan after losing the First Sino-Japanese War. Japan ruled for 50 years — longer than the PRC has existed. Railways, hospitals, schools, and legal systems were built. Taiwan's modern infrastructure is largely a legacy of this era.
Treaty of Shimonoseki50 YearsModernisationWushe Incident 1930
1945 – 1987ROC / KMT
ROC Rule & White Terror
Japan surrendered Taiwan in 1945. After losing the Civil War, the KMT moved to Taiwan in 1949 — the same year the PRC was founded on the mainland. Two separate governments, born the same year, on either side of the strait. The 228 Massacre (1947) killed tens of thousands. Martial law lasted 38 years — the longest in history at the time.
228 Massacre 1947KMT 194938 Years Martial Law"Chinese Taipei" Imposed 1981
1987 – PresentDemocracy
Taiwan's Democratic Miracle
Martial law lifted 1987. First direct presidential election 1996 — Asia's first for a Chinese-speaking nation. Two peaceful transfers of power between rival parties. Legalised same-sex marriage 2019 — first in Asia. Produces 60% of the world's advanced chips. The PRC has never governed Taiwan for a single day.
Martial Law Lifted 1987Election 1996Same-Sex Marriage 2019Top 10 DemocracyTSMC · 60% Chips
Data & Indicators

Taiwan in numbers

EIU Democracy Index 2023
Democracy Rankings
Norway
9.81
Sweden
9.39
Taiwan 🇹🇼
8.92
USA
7.85
China 🇨🇳
1.97
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
RSF Press Freedom Index 2023
Press Freedom
🇹🇼 Taiwan
#35
World Rank
🇨🇳 China
#179
out of 180
Taiwan 🇹🇼
72.3
China 🇨🇳
11.0
Source: Reporters Without Borders
Global Semiconductor Foundry 2023
Taiwan Controls the World's Chips
60% Taiwan
Taiwan (TSMC)
60%
Samsung (Korea)
13%
Intel (USA)
9%
Others
18%
Source: TrendForce Q4 2023 · Advanced chips ≤5nm: Taiwan >90%
Freedom House 2024
Civil & Political Freedom
Political RightsTW 96 · CN 0 /100
Civil LibertiesTW 91 · CN 10 /100
Internet FreedomTW 78 · CN 9 /100
Source: Freedom House · Blue = Taiwan · Red = China
GDP per Capita USD — World Bank
Economic Trajectory 1990–2023
Taiwan (~$35,000 in 2023)
China (~$12,700 in 2023)
Source: World Bank
Taiwan & China — Compared

Two governments.
One claim — is it valid?

🇹🇼
Taiwan
Republic of China · Est. 1912
vs
🇨🇳
China
People's Republic · Est. 1949
FreeScore 94/100Freedom House🗽Not FreeScore 9/100
#35Press Freedom RankPress Freedom📰#179of 180 countries
8.92Democracy IndexEIU Democracy🗳️1.97Authoritarian
~$35KGDP per CapitaGDP per Capita💰~$12.7KGDP per Capita
60%Global Foundry ShareSemiconductors💾~7%Global Foundry Share
LegalSince 2019 · First in AsiaSame-Sex Marriage🏳️‍🌈IllegalCriminalised
146Visa-Free DestinationsPassport Power🛂85Visa-Free Destinations
NeverPRC has never governed TaiwanHistorical Rule📜ClaimsSince 1949
A question of precedent

The PRC was founded in 1949. It has never governed Taiwan for a single day. Every post-colonial nation that achieved self-governance — Ireland, Algeria, India, Vietnam — is recognised under its own name. Taiwan has governed itself longer than most. Does it deserve the same recognition?

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Would this make sense to you?
"Russian Kyiv"
if not → then why accept ↓
"Chinese Taipei"
Taiwan's imposed name
Russia claims Ukraine is historically its territory — the same argument China uses for Taiwan.
#TaiwanIsTaiwan