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Taiwan

American  
[tahy-wahn] / ˈtaɪˈwɑn /

noun

Wade-Giles, Pinyin.
  1. an island separated from the southeast coast of China by the Taiwan Strait: a possession of Japan 1895–1945; restored to China 1945; seat of the Republic of China since 1949. Taipei.


Taiwan British  
/ ˈtaɪˈwɑːn /

noun

  1. Former name: Formosa.  an island in SE Asia between the East China Sea and the South China Sea, off the SE coast of the People's Republic of China: the principal territory of the Republic of China; claimed by the People's Republic of China since its political separation from mainland China in the late 1940s. Pop: 23 299 716 (2013 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Taiwan Cultural  
  1. Island nation in the Pacific Ocean near the mainland of southern China; seat of the Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Taipei.


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With its first free elections in the 1990s, Taiwan has become a democracy. Its economy is among the strongest in the world.

The United States long supported the Nationalists but broke relations in 1979 to establish relations with the People's Republic of China.

China refuses to accept Taiwan's independence as a nation, viewing it instead as merely a renegade province of China. This issue continues to complicate relations between the United States and China.

When the Chinese communists came to power on the mainland, the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek and some of his army took refuge on Taiwan.

Etymology

Origin of Taiwan

First recorded in 1920–25; from Chinese (Mandarin) Táiwān

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That strategy didn’t specifically mention Taiwan but included a more general statement that the U.S. military will “erect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The row began in November, when Takaichi appeared to suggest that Japan would activate its self-defence force in the event of an attack on Taiwan.

From BBC

Born into a well-off family in central Taiwan on July 2, 1934, Liu worked briefly in his father's trading and food manufacturing company but was soon itching to branch out on his own.

From Barron's

Markets in mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam were closed for Lunar New Year holidays, while exchanges are also closed Monday in Brazil and Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal

For comparison, Taiwan is roughly 100 kilometres wide.

From Barron's