TAIPEI (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department's Taiwan page last week removed a previous reference to not supporting Taiwan's independence.
Below are some questions and answers about what is meant by the term "Taiwan independence":
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 1600s.
The Qing dynasty incorporated Taiwan as part of Fujian province in 1684 and only declared it a separate Chinese province in 1885.
Following the Qing's defeat in a war with Japan, it became a Japanese colony in 1895.