The truth on the ground is that Taiwan is an independent country. Countryhood isn’t about recognition, it’s about autonomy. Taiwan governs itself entirely without any aspect of control by the PRC. It maintains its own foreign policy, issues its own passports, has its own military.
Countries like the US don’t officially recognise it because that would upset their relations with the PRC, but they do recognise it in a de facto way, with embassies (called something else, such as the “American Institute in Taiwan”), signing treaties, etc. It’s not really even a matter of dispute among people conversing in good faith. Taiwan is an independent country. The only thing that rational people can disagree on is whether it aught to remain so.
It’s not the only de facto country with poor recognition. Somaliland is one of the other clearest examples.
The truth on the ground is that Taiwan is an independent country. Countryhood isn’t about recognition, it’s about autonomy. Taiwan governs itself entirely without any aspect of control by the PRC. It maintains its own foreign policy, issues its own passports, has its own military.
Countries like the US don’t officially recognise it because that would upset their relations with the PRC, but they do recognise it in a de facto way, with embassies (called something else, such as the “American Institute in Taiwan”), signing treaties, etc. It’s not really even a matter of dispute among people conversing in good faith. Taiwan is an independent country. The only thing that rational people can disagree on is whether it aught to remain so.
It’s not the only de facto country with poor recognition. Somaliland is one of the other clearest examples.