Taiwan is already independent. Surely the normal way to refer to it would be as coming out against assimilation with mainland China?

The official position of Taiwan (Republic of China) and the People's Republic of China is that they're rival governments of the same China.

The Taiwanese government has never formally declared itself independent from the mainland. Such a declaration would likely cause the PRC to invade.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Consensus

Nonetheless, de facto, they are independent. And if you'd glance back at my comment, I deliberately referred to it as "assimilating with mainland China" to pay lip service to them seeing themselves as the true government of China, in an attempt to avoid this very nitpick.

>Taiwan is already independent.

That is a very controversial statement, and one that both Taipei and Beijing disagree with.

Controversy doesn't change the reality. Stating that Taiwan is not independent is political posturing. Look to French Guiana, which is not independent.

Taipei only disagrees because they're under threat. Doublespeak should generally be called out. Taiwan lives under perpetual fear of occupation and forced assimilation.

>Surely the normal way to refer to it would be as coming out against assimilation with mainland China?

I suppose, though that's not really how I tend to see it phrased on socials or in the media.

De facto sed non de iure

Before Trump set his sights on Greenland, Denmark also considered Kosovo to be independent.