Free or slave…what is the status of Taiwan in the world?

China calls Taiwan its integral part and Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly threatened to merge Taiwan with China by force. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said last year that Taiwan is a sovereign nation and it is useless to talk about its independence from China because it is already independent.

China gets angry as soon as it hears about Taiwan's independence. Since last year, China has increased its military presence near Taiwan and has also put pressure on other countries not to recognize Taiwan as a country. Now the question arises that China considers it as its part, but does the world consider Taiwan as a country?

Status of Taiwan in the UN

Until 2024, the simplest answer to this question depends on who you ask. Taiwan has passed from country to country and back again throughout its history, sometimes under Chinese rule, and sometimes under Japanese rule. In today’s global politics, to be considered a country, a territory must be recognized by two-thirds of the 193-member United Nations, including all five permanent members of the UN Security Council and four of its 10 non-permanent members. However Taiwan has been recognized by only 12 countries, including 11 UN members and the Vatican City.

Taiwan is seen as just a territory within the UN. Let us tell you that China is a permanent member of the UN and is diplomatically strong. Due to this most countries maintain distance from Taiwan. India and America have good relations with Taiwan, but both of them also do not recognize Taiwan as a country.

Small countries recognized

The countries that recognize Taiwan are small countries. These include Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Haiti, Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, Tuvalu and Vatican City.