[himinlomax]

Taiwan has:

- a military

- a government

- a language

- a judicial system

- foreign relations, however hampered they are by the Communist party

It also happens to be in a state of cold war with their nominally Communist neighbour.

If it's not a country, nothing is.

[brobinson]

So you're saying that the Republic of China Armed Forces belong to an entity called "Taiwan"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_Armed_Forces

"Taiwan" passports say "Republic of China" on them.

My passport stamps from when I entered Taiwan say "Republic of China".

Taiwan is just _one_ of the islands that the ROC controls. Calling the ROC "Taiwan" muddies the conversation and helps the PRC narrative that "Taiwan is a province of China".

The ROC has been a de facto independent country since 1912 when it was founded. The existence of the PRC since 1949 has not changed that.

[nathanyukai]

On the military and foreign relation really matters in this list. In my understanding, the only reason these two still exists is because US is backing them up since WW2.