Did you know that Taiwan's official name is Republic of China?

A civil war between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang led to a division of Chinese territory in 1949

The latest flashpoint is a trip by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Credit: Reuters Photo

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So, we reach the obvious question: Is Taiwan a part of China or not? Taiwan's official name is the Republic of China (ROC) but it has a complicated history.

The ROC was first established in 1912 when Chinese revolutionaries overthrew the Qing Empire. This ROC included mainland China as well as the island of Taiwan.

After World War II, ROC government representatives accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in Taiwan. The then Chief Executive of Taiwan Province Chen Yi sent a memorandum to the then Japanese governor-general of Taiwan, stating that "As the Chief Executive of Taiwan Province of the ROC,… I restore all legal territory, people, administration, political, economic, and cultural facilities and assets of Taiwan (including the Penghu Islands)."

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The ROC Constitution was promulgated on Jan. 1, 1947, and was scheduled to take effect on Dec. 25 of that year. In March and the following months, ROC troops dispatched from mainland China suppressed a large-scale uprising of Taiwan residents.

A full-scale civil war raged in China until 1949 between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Kuomintang. This led to a division of Chinese territory. The ROC government relocated to Taiwan, followed by 1.2 million people from mainland China.

The CCP established the People's Republic of China on the mainland while the Kuomintang-led ROC government was set up on the island of Taiwan. Both claimed to be the sole legitimate government of China.

Since then, China has maintained that the island is a part of its territory and has not ruled out using military force to retake control. China has also been increasing diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan in recent years. China cut ties with Taiwan's government in 2016 after President Tsai Ing-wen refused to endorse its claim that the island and mainland together made up a single Chinese nation, with Beijing designated as the sole legitimate government.

Beijing sees American diplomatic relations with Taiwan as a move to make the island's de facto independence permanent, a step that US leaders say they do not support.

(With agency inputs)