Beijing considers Taiwan — a democracy of 23 million people that has been governed separately from China since 1949 — to be a breakaway province, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. China puts military pressure on Taiwan by sending warships and aircraft near the island almost daily.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te and his ruling Democratic Progressive Party reject Beijing’s assertions and maintain that Taiwan is a sovereign country whose future should be decided by its people.
