Differences between China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau

Until now, maybe many of us still don't know the difference between China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. The four regions have differences from each other. To find out the difference between China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, let's see the explanation below!

China

China, whose full name is the People's Republic of China, is a country located in East Asia with its capital city Beijing. China is the most populous country in the world and has a currency, the yuan. China is a country that adheres to the communist ideology in running its government.

Taiwan

Taiwan and China have been separated since the civil war broke out. The war between the nationalist and communist groups ended with the victory of the communists who eventually controlled mainland China. Meanwhile, the nationalists were the losers. This group of nationalists fled to the island of Formosa which is now Taiwan. In Taiwan the nationalists formed a self-governing state that was different from China.

De facto, Taiwan has become independent because it has a government, territory, people, and state symbol. However, Taiwan is only recognized by 23 countries as an independent country, therefore, Taiwan is referred to as a country with limited recognition.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong was once a British colony, then in 1997, Britain handed over Hong Kong to China. Hong Kong's current status is a special administrative area.

Hong Kong has its own government, flag and currency. Hong Kong also has its own police force, but does not have its own army because its defenses are controlled by China. Therefore, Hong Kong is called a semi-independent country.

Macau

Just like Hong Kong, Macau was once a Portuguese colony. In 1999, the Portuguese ceded Macau to China. Macau is a special administrative region with its own government and currency. Therefore, Macau and China are referred to as one country, two systems.