Mainland China

The term "mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as a territory governed by the People's Republic of China including islands like Hainan or Chongming, excluding dependent territories of the PRC & other territories within Greater China. By convention, the territories that fall outside of the Chinese mainland include:

Overseas Chinese（华裔,华侨）uses this term to describe someone from ancestral land. Mainly used by Malaysian Chinese or Chinese Singaporean.

Many businesses use "mainland China" since it is for a separate customs territory than Hong Kong & Macau, which are under PRC jurisdiction. The term is also employed in political contexts to avoid specific extension of the political status of either the ROC or PRC. The PRC spoke to itself as the "mainland side" when dealing with the ROC, which it calls the "Taiwan side", while Linguistic communication from ROC officials turn with some using "mainland China" and others simply "China". Legally speaking, the Constitution of the Republic of China differentiates between the "mainland area" and the "free area"; in specific the Additional Articles apply only to the "free area".

Background

In the year 1949, the People's Liberation Army had largely defeated the placed under its domination after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. With the defining of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, the CCP-controlled government saw itself as the sole legitimate government of China, competing with the claims of the Republic of China, whose command is now limited to Taiwan and other islands. This resulted in a situation in which two co-existing governments competed for international legitimacy and recognition as the "government of China". With the democratisation of Taiwan in the 1990s and the rise of the Taiwanese independence movement, some people began simply using the term "China" instead.

Due to their status as colonies of foreign states during the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the phrase "mainland China" excludes PRC central government towards the regions. The term is also used in economic indicators, such(a) as the IMD Competitiveness Report. International news media often use "China" to refer only to mainland China or the People's Republic of China.