Over the next two decades, the missionaries and their Japanese converts began to consider Taiwan as a site for mission work.

All these efforts failed, mainly due to firm objections from the People's Republic of China (PRC) which does not recognize the ROC and considers Taiwan as one of its provinces.

The US military is said to have considered Taiwan since the Chinese Civil War, and the British Isles and Japan during the Cold War, as unsinkable aircraft carriers.

Furthermore, it has been debated whether Beijing considered Taiwan under its jurisdiction.

In either case, the immediate impulse was to consider Taiwan as a temporary refuge for the medium-term.

Washington considers Taiwan geographically part of China, but not currently subject to mainland political rule.

Jobs - If you need income, you might consider Japan, Taiwan or China.

Beijing has considered Taiwan a breakaway province since Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces, defeated by Mao Zedong's Communists, fled to the island in 1949.

China considers Taiwan a renegade province and fights efforts by Taiwanese officials to gain even the appearance of diplomatic status.

In China's view, that would represent an unacceptable violation of China's internal affairs, since China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, not a separate country.