Taiwan has been at the centre of tensions between China and the US for decades. Its political status, defence ties and the question of independence remain key issues. Here is a look at Taiwan's history, its place in the world and why its status remains disputed.
Formosa, as Taiwan was known to European powers, was inhabited by Indigenous peoples before the Dutch and Spanish established settlements there in the 1600s.
The Qing dynasty incorporated Taiwan as part of Fujian province in 1684, before making it a separate province in 1885.
Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895 following the First Sino-Japanese War and ruled the island as a colony until 1945, when it was handed to the Republic of China (ROC).
In 1949, the ROC government fled to Taiwan after Mao Zedong's communist forces won the Chinese Civil War. The ROC remains Taiwan's formal name, while the People's Republic of China (PRC) claims to be the only legitimate government of China.
The ROC was expelled from the United Nations in 1971, when the seat representing China was transferred to the government in Beijing.
Taiwan currently has formal diplomatic relations with 12 countries, mostly small developing states. Major Western countries and US allies maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan, recognise ROC passports and operate de facto embassies there.
The US severed official diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 but maintains unofficial relations under its Taiwan Relations Act, which provides for the sale of arms to Taiwan. The US one-China policy takes no position on sovereignty.
China says it has not renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and has offered a 'one country, two systems' framework, but no major Taiwan political party supports that proposal.
Polls show most Taiwanese favour maintaining the status quo.
China says UN Resolution 2758 legally means the world recognises Taiwan belongs to China, while Taipei says the resolution does not mention Taiwan or its status.
Taiwan elects its own leaders, controls its territory, has its own military, passport and currency, and operates with de facto self-government, although it is not formally recognised as a sovereign state by most countries.
Taipei says the ROC is sovereign and that Beijing has no right to speak for Taiwan.
A formal change of the country's name would require a constitutional amendment and a referendum, with at least 75 per cent of lawmakers required to support the amendment.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT) hold equal numbers of seats in parliament.
The DPP has made no attempt to change the name since 2016, while the KMT opposes a name change.
China calls Lai Ching-te a 'separatist' and has described his position as support for Taiwan independence.
Before the 2024 presidential election, Lai described himself as a 'practical worker for Taiwan independence', but has said he meant that Taiwan is already independent.
Since taking office in 2024, Lai has said the ROC and PRC 'are not subordinate to each other'.
Beijing says such statements amount to promoting a separate-country or independence narrative.
China's 2005 Anti-Secession Law provides a legal basis for military action if Taiwan secedes or if possibilities for peaceful reunification are exhausted.
The law does not clearly define the circumstances under which those conditions would be considered to have been met.
During the Cold War, the US maintained military bases in Taiwan under a Mutual Defence Treaty.
The US severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 and recognised Beijing, ending the defence treaty.
Since then, the Taiwan Relations Act has provided the legal basis for US arms sales to Taiwan, but does not require the US to defend the island.
The US has maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity over whether it would intervene militarily in a conflict.
Former US President Joe Biden had said the US would defend Taiwan if China attacked, while President Donald Trump has been less explicit about whether the US would defend Taiwan.
US military personnel have trained with Taiwanese forces, while Taiwan has sent F-16 pilots to Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
The two sides also maintain senior defence contacts and intelligence sharing.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) serves as a de facto US embassy, while the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) represents Taiwan in the US.
Taiwan has no US military bases or defence treaty with Washington, so there is no host-nation arrangement for US forces.
Taiwan spends on US weapons, with about $19 billion in arms deliveries backlogged.
Trump described relations with Taiwan as 'excellent'; he spoke with then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen by telephone in 2016.
During Trump's first presidency, senior US officials visited Taiwan, including then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
The Trump administration also approved arms sales to Taiwan and imposed sanctions on former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
US politicians have described Taiwan as one of the few issues that attracts bipartisan support.
Members of Congress and other US politicians have visited Taiwan.
In April 2024, the US Congress approved a foreign aid package that included military assistance for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.
The DPP and KMT also sent observer delegations to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
In 2023, Taiwan was the US's 10th-largest export market, with US exports worth about $40 billion, and the eighth-largest source of US imports, worth about $88 billion.
Taiwan was excluded from the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) in 2022 but instead joined the US under the 21st Century trade initiative.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has announced plans to invest $65 billion in Arizona, with the US government providing $6.6 billion in subsidies and up to $5 billion in loans.