f whether the island of Taiwan, together
             with associated smaller islands like the Pescadores... [I]s a part of China or
             an independent entity has remained a thorny issue in international
             politics since the end of World War II.
             The issue itself causes problems between the two states because both sides have their own
             opinions on the topic. Taiwan, or the Republic of China, maintains itself to be a sovereign state
             with its own democratically elected parliament centered in Taipei, while the People's Republic of
             China views the islands position rather differently. The government in Beijing maintains this
             Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, 157 countries have
             established diplomatic ties with China. All of these countries recognize that
             there is only one China and that the government of the People's Republic
             of China is the sole legal government of China and Taiwan is a part of China.
             With this in mind, it is possible to see where discrepancies would arise. How did this problem
             arise? What is the present state of the Taiwan question? What does the future hold for Chinese-
             Taiwanese relations? To better understand the essence of the Taiwan question we must first
             establish the history between China and Taiwan and come to terms with the fact that the Taiwan
             question and its settlement is not only important for China, it is important for international
             To understand the Taiwan question we must first look at the historical relationship
             between China and the island of Taiwan. The Chinese government in Beijing contends that
             Taiwan is an inalienable part of China because it has belonged to China since ancient times. The
             Chinese began settling in the seventh century and the Portugese were the first European power to
             visit the island when they landed in 1590. The Portugese gave the island the name "Formosa,"
             meaning "the Beautiful." The Dutch ...