One China principle in the context of "One-China policy"

The political status of Taiwan is a longstanding geopolitical subject focusing on the sovereignty of the island of Taiwan and its associated islands. The issue has been in dispute since the alleged retrocession of Taiwan from the Empire of Japan to the Republic of China (ROC) in 1945, and the ROC government’s retreat from mainland China to Taiwan as the result of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The Taiwan Area since then has become the major territorial base of the ROC. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-led People’s Republic of China (PRC), despite never having control of it, claims Taiwan as an inalienable province. The PRC's claim is based on the theory of state succession, who deems itself as the regime that replaced the pre-1949 ROC, and denies the existing sovereignty of the ROC in Taiwan under its one China principle.

The ROC governed mainland China from 1912 until 1949, when it lost control of the mainland due to its defeat in the Chinese Civil War by the CCP, who established the PRC that same year, while the effective jurisdiction of the ROC has been limited to Taiwan and its associated islands. Prior to this, Japan’s surrender in 1945 ended its colonial rule over Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, which were subsequently placed under the administration of the ROC as agreed by the major Allies of World War II. However, post-war agreements did not clearly define sovereignty over these islands due to the ongoing rivalry between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the CCP. The division led to the emergence of two rival governments on opposite sides of the Taiwan Strait, each claiming to be the sole legitimate authority over both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The PRC and historically the ROC both officially adhere to the principle of "one China," but fundamentally disagree on who is entitled to represent it. This has resulted in what is known as the "Two Chinas" scenario, reflecting the unresolved dispute over which government is the legitimate representative of China.

The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, titled Restoration of the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, was passed in response to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1668 that required any change in China's representation in the UN be determined by a two-thirds vote referring to Article 18 of the UN Charter. The resolution, passed on 25 October 1971, recognized the People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations" and removed "the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek" (referring to the then Kuomintang regime as the dominant party in the Republic of China, whose central government had retreated to Taiwan from the mainland) from the United Nations.

In the 2020s, disputes over the interpretation of the resolution have arisen, with Taiwan, the United States, Canada, the European Union, United Kingdom and Australia disagreeing with the PRC's interpretation about conflating the resolution with its one China principle and using it against Taiwan's right of participation in international organizations.

Taiwan Province is a notional administrative division claimed by the People's Republic of China. Its claimed jurisdiction includes Taiwan and its affiliated islands, the Penghu Islands, and the Senkaku Islands and their affiliated islands; the islands of Kinmen and Matsu are claimed as part of Fujian Province. The territory of the claimed province, including the entire island of Taiwan, is in actuality administered by the Republic of China (ROC), but is not coextensive with the smaller Taiwan Province of the ROC, while the Senkaku Islands is administered by Japan.

The political status of Taiwan is complex. The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 near the end of the Chinese Civil War. The PRC considers itself the successor state of the pre-1949 ROC and the sole legitimate government of "China" and claims Taiwan as part of its territory under the One China principle. However, the PRC has never controlled Taiwan since its establishment in 1949. The Taiwan Area, including all of the territory claimed by PRC as a province, has been continuously administered by the government of the Republic of China (ROC) since the Japanese surrender of World War II. The PRC proposed that under a hypothetical unification Taiwan would become a Special Administrative Region rather than a province.

"Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the Republic of China (ROC), a country commonly known as Taiwan.

Due to the one China principle stipulated by the People's Republic of China (PRC, China), Taiwan, being a non-UN member after its expulsion in 1971 with ongoing dispute of its sovereignty, was prohibited from using or displaying any of its national symbols that would represent the statehood of Taiwan, such as its national name, anthem and flag, at international events. The term "Chinese Taipei" was first proposed in 1979 and was eventually approved in the Nagoya Resolution, whereby both the ROC/Taiwan and the PRC/China obtained their right of participation and would remain as separate delegations in any activities of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its associated organizations. This term came into official use in 1981 following a name change of the Republic of China Olympic Committee (ROCOC) to the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. This arrangement later became a model for the ROC/Taiwan to continue participating in various international organizations and diplomatic affairs other than the Olympic Games, including the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization, the Metre Convention, APEC, and international pageants.