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China

The Republic of China (Traditional Chinese: 中華民國, Simplified Chinese: 中华民国; Wade-Giles: Chung-hua Min-kuo, Tongyong Pinyin: JhongHuá MínGuó, Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó) is a state that currently administers the island groups of Taiwan, Penghu, Quemoy and Matsu. In English, the name "Taiwan" is often used synonymously with the Republic of China, while the term "China" usually refers to the People's Republic of China, which controls mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.

The Republic of China (ROC) succeeded the Qing Dynasty in 1912 and administered Mainland China until its overthrow there by the Chinese Communists in the Chinese Civil War. As a result, at the end of the Civil War in 1949, the Kuomintang-controlled ROC government evacuated to Taipei where it continued to regard itself as the sole legitimate government of China (including Tibet and outer Mongolia). Meanwhile, the Communists established the new People's Republic of China and claimed to be the successor state of the ROC over all of China and regard the Republic of China on Taiwan as illegitimate. Though the government no longer actively pursues its official claims to mainland China and the tense standoff of the Cold War era has largely subsided, each side remains hostile and the political status of Taiwan remains a contentious issue.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Republic of China".