I think there's no point arguing about whether Taiwan is a country or not because other countries refuse to recognize it as one anyway...as frustrating as that may be for people who come from Taiwan. More people speak mandarin than taiwanese in taiwan, so I still think they're chinese. Like if someone asked if I was chinese, I wouldn't say "no, I'm taiwanese". That's just silly. I view Taiwan and China kind of like Canada and the US. Same types of people, same language, same cultures, but just...different countries officially. I mean in the end, they're all the same people anyway.
Unless people push for something, nothing will get done. I encourage discussion about this topic, but I prefer something more reasonable than just "I just feel that they aren't different," simply because they are different, as much so as some separate countries today. Why should Taiwan be bereft of this benefit? How many 2nd generation and above Canadians and Americans will say they are French, British, etc. when asked about their nationality?
The benefit for Taiwanese Independence is pretty simple but yet so bountiful. The advantage of it would be less social costs for the Taiwanese since we do not need to live with "status quo" political ambiguity. the NINU(Not Independent Not Unified) status quo is what makes Taiwan so divided and unstable. It is both a miracle and tragedy we are not in civil wars now like 99% of other states ever been in same situation in the history. With independence we no longer need to pay for diplomatic relationships with the 3rd world countries to keep a foreign government's dream to be a country alive. And the fact we are being identified as "Taiwan" makes it efficient for our business entities and citizens to establish commerce with rest of the world without violating the One China Policy as described in the UN resolution 2758. You can't be "RO China" and still say you are "Taiwan" and not China. It's really confusing for everyone, even us. Taiwan as an independent state(even without being in UN assuming China uses veto power) can also be entitled to numerous benefits provided by international community, including more capacity as a state to bring conflicts and matters to international regulatory bodies. Right now Taiwan is liable for all the responsibilities and costs as an independent state but not getting the benefits as one, who would want all obligations and no privileges forever? Taiwanese people keeping its independent and autonomous state can help the country becoming more efficiently governed and that will lead to a more prosperous country.
These are some of the reasons I think Taiwan should be an independent country.
Before that, they were a part of China.
I already laid out proofs showing that Taiwan itself was never a part of China.
Taiwanese people left China long ago, yes, but it was only a few years ago that they demanded independence on TV and everything.
Taiwan has had the chance to demand independence only recently. Looking at its history, it has been tossed around from occupation to occupation. Since the KMT lost power two decades ago, the only recent obstacle stopping Taiwan from being independent is China, which is why these TV statements were made.
And I don't care if the countries recognize Taiwan as a country. I'm talking about what people think and not the political and technical things.
How do you know what the majority of people think? I could easily say many non-Asian people can't tell the difference between different Asian countries.
When it comes down to it, a lot of people (if not most), still think of Taiwan as part of China.
Again, who is a lot of people?