International status of Taiwan

Overview of Taiwan and its international status

Taiwan’s constitution and relationship with People’s Republic of China

Taiwan is an island in the South China Sea, around 100 miles off the coast of China, on which nearly 24 million people live. The Communist-controlled People’s Republic of China, based on mainland China, considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must return to the mainland’s control.

According to Taiwan’s constitution its official name is the Republic of China. This is a remnant of a political entity formed on the Chinese mainland more than 100 years ago. The Republic of China (Taiwan) does not officially recognise the People’s Republic, and its constitution still asserts sovereignty over mainland China.

The People’s Republic of China’s ‘One China’ principle asserts that Taiwan is an integral part of China, and as part of this, that other countries must only maintain official diplomatic relations with itself. It also opposes Taiwan’s participation in international organisations.

For more on China-Taiwan relations see Library briefing Taiwan: Relations with China.

International recognition of Taiwan

Currently only 12 countries have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. That number has shrunk in recent years, in part because of pressure from China.

Since Taiwan’s DPP party, which asserts a distinct Taiwanese identity and autonomy for Taiwan, returned to power in 2016, China appeared to increase pressure on the remaining countries that recognise Taiwan. Between 2016 and 2024, 10 countries broke ties with the island:

• 2016: Sao Tome and Principe
• 2017: Panama
• 2018: Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic and El Salvador
• 2019: Kiribati and the Solomon Islands
• 2021: Nicaragua
• 2023: Honduras
• 2024: Nauru

Over the same period, China has also increased its efforts to block Taiwan from participating in international organisations.

Taiwan’s development into a democracy in the 1990s and fraying relations between many Western countries and China over the last several years, seems to have increased support in some of those countries for deepening ties with Taiwan, and supporting its participation in international fora. None, however, have expressed support for establishing formal diplomatic ties or recognising Taiwan as an independent country.

Countries and international organisations will often refer to Taiwan officially by the name of its capital, Taipei, or sometimes Chinese Taipei.

Taiwan’s membership of the United Nations

United Nations

After losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang’s government, which fled to Taiwan, continued to represent China as the Republic of China at the UN.

Disagreement grew over who was the legitimate representative of China. Initially the US managed to block efforts to recognise the People’s Republic of China. However, during the 1950s and 1960s decolonisation changed the composition of the UN General Assembly, with a large number of newly independent nations from South America, Asia and Africa, supporting the People’s Republic’s bid to be recognised as the sole legitimate representative of China.

In December 1961, the General Assembly passed resolution 1668 (XVI), noting the “serious divergence of views” that existed over the representation of China, and resolved that the issue be designated as an “important question” under Article 18 of the UN Charter, meaning that any resolution to settle the question would require a two-thirds majority vote in the UN’s General Assembly.

In October 1971, the General Assembly passed resolution 2758 by the required two-thirds majority, which recognised the People’s Republic of China as the only lawful representative of China at the United Nations, and expelled the Republic of China’s delegation. The resolution did not mention the territorial status of Taiwan.

At the same session the United States attempted to submit its own resolution proposing dual representation from the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China at the UN. However, the resolution above was voted on first and accepted. A US motion to amend the resolution, removing the “expulsion of Chiang” part was also rejected.

From 1993, Taiwan submitted annual applications to the UN for membership, under the name of the Republic of China. In 2009 it submitted an application under the name Taiwan instead. All these applications were rejected.

For more on Taiwan’s membership of other international organisations see section 2.2 of Library briefing Taiwan: History, politics and UK relations.

UK policy on recognition of Taiwan

The UK, like most other countries, does not recognise Taiwan as a state, nor does it maintain formal diplomatic relations with the island.

The UK was the first Western power to recognise the People’s Republic of China, doing so in January 1950, and sending a chargé d’affaires to Beijing. The UK broke off its recognition of the Republic of China at the same time.

The People’s Republic did not reciprocate diplomatic relations with the UK, demanding the UK support its bid to take up the UN seat occupied by the Republic of China at that time.

The UK and the People’s Republic of China finally exchanged ambassadors in 1972, and the UK closed its consulate in Taiwan that same year. As part of establishing formal diplomatic relations, the UK and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) signed an agreement that “acknowledged the position of the government of the PRC that Taiwan was a province of China and recognised the PRC Government as the sole legal government of China”.

In response to a 2016 petition calling for the UK Government to recognise Taiwan as a country, the Conservative Government responded that the dispute between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China should be resolved “through dialogue, in line with the views of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait”.

The “long-standing” UK policy was confirmed in a House of Lords debate on 14 July 2020, with Lord Ahmad saying on behalf of the Conservative Government:

The United Kingdom’s long-standing policy on Taiwan has not changed. We have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but a strong unofficial relationship based on dynamic commercial, educational and cultural ties. We regularly lobby in favour of Taiwan’s participation in international organisations where statehood is not a prerequisite, and we make clear our concerns about any activity that risks destabilising the cross-strait status quo. We have no plans to recognise Taiwan as a state.

Developments under the Labour government

Reports that former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen blocked from visiting the UK

The Guardian newspaper reported in November 2024 that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) asked to postpone a visit to the UK by the former president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen.  

Taiwanese officials had asked if Tsai could visit the UK parliament and address MPs and Peers according to the Guardian, which reported that her trip would have coincided with the visit to China of the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, something it said the FCDO was seeking to avoid.

An FCDO spokesperson said in response to the report: “We do not recognise this characterisation of events. Parliamentarians are independent of government and are free to invite whoever they wish”.

Iain Duncan Smith asked a parliamentary question of the Foreign Secretary as to “whether his Department advised postponement of the visit to London of former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen?”. The Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, responded:

The UK’s longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong unofficial relationship based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas and underpinned by shared democratic values.

There is a long history of visits between the UK and Taiwan, including many conducted independently of HMG.

Following his visit to China, Mr Lammy was asked during an urgent question on China and human rights and sanctions by Danny Kruger MP, if he had discussed Taiwan with his Chinese counterpart, and if he could “specify a little more clearly what he said, and was he clearer about the UK’s red lines on Taiwan?”.

The Foreign Secretary responded “I specifically discussed the aggression that we are seeing in the Taiwan straits, and I maintained our long-standing position on Taiwan. We are very concerned about an escalatory pattern of behaviour, and of course I raised those concerns in a robust manner”.

Asked by Calum Miller MP if he could “assure the House that his Department played no part in preventing Parliament from hosting former President Tsai?”. Mr Lammy responded: “I do not recognise what was suggested in relation to Taiwan”.