This 14,000-square mile island was in the control of the ROC, but after the Communists chased the Nationalist Party out of Mainland China, they retreated to Taiwan. If Taiwan is not part of China, why is it called "Republic of China"? In 1976, however, Taiwan was not allowed to use the name China, since the PRC was internationally recognized and had the right to refuse another entity from using their name. Some Taiwanese may also support a return of the ROC government back to China and then eventual Taiwanese independence under a new government. The government operating on Taiwan is a self-sustaining, fully functional, democratically-elected government unrelated to Beijing with its own economy, What's most important for visitors to understand is that visiting Taiwan from a legal and visa standpoint is that it is different from mainland China. Although Taiwan is still sometimes referred to as Formosa, and has been for centuries, it was only known as the Republic of Formosa for five short months. Previously known as Formosa, Taiwan is an island nation roughly 100 miles off the eastern coast of China. However, bringing all the world’s greatest athletes to the same place and having them compete also brings an element of patriotism and politics into the mix, which needs to be handled with a great deal of diplomacy and tact.One of the most interesting and delicate examples of this relates to Mainland China and Taiwan. Therefore, the international community needs to deal extensively with China, while also negotiating the touchy situation of Taiwan, which is the form of government that most democracies “prefer”.This entire situation became ever more complicated in the 1980s, when the island nation went through a number of democratic reforms.

However, it became more and more clear that the PRC was going to retain control of Mainland China. This was most notable in 1971, when the United Nations officially recognized and welcomed the PRC as a member.While Taiwan is certainly an economic force, considered one of the “Four Asian Tigers”, it simply cannot compare to the massive industrial and commercial power of Mainland China, with its more than 1.3 billion people. Its closeness to Mainland China has made it an important trading hub and transportation capital, and it has been owned or controlled by a number of different nations in the last millennium. Less frustrations are experienced in Taiwan with regard to daily tasks, as infrastructure is highly developed, so there are no worries about transit services, bank and currency exchange, utilities, open internet, or interactions with authorities, and the better environment is a result of the Taiwanese passion for recycling and conservation. Most notably, the Taiwanese Olympic Team must compete under the ambiguous name Since the Republic of China is a democracy, the people living on Taiwan have the right to form their own opinions with regard to politics and elect leaders which represent their interests. Many Taiwanese feel Taiwan is 'already independent', in the sense that during the over 70 year rule of the ROC on Taiwan, the ROC has 'transformed' into a fully local Taiwanese government with zero influence from Beijing, especially when considering the loss of rule over the mainland of China and the fact that most citizens of the ROC are Taiwanese or have immigrated to the island and assumed residency there after the cessation of Japanese rule.While some would like to remove all vestiges of the ROC government and become solely 'Taiwan', there are also patriotic supporters of the ROC government who wish for the mainland to become ruled by the democratic ROC regime once again.