Explainer-What is ‘Taiwan independence’ and is Taiwan already independent?

TAIPEI, May 14 – China’s Xi Jinping told President Donald Trump on Thursday that disagreement over Taiwan could send relations down a dangerous path and that “Taiwan independence” and cross-Taiwan Strait peace are as “irreconcilable as fire and water”. Below are some questions and answers about what is meant by the term “Taiwan independence” and the positions of the Chinese, U.S. and Taiwanese governments. WHAT IS TAIWAN’S HISTORY AND FORMAL NAME TODAY? Previously known as Formosa, the island has been home to indigenous people for thousands of years, before the Dutch and Spanish briefly ruled parts of it in the…