Taiwanese people (; //; ; //) are people from Taiwan who share a common
Taiwanese culture and speak
Chinese or Aboriginal languages as a mother tongue, made out of two ethnic groups, Han Chinese, who make up 98% of the population, and Aboriginals, who make up the remaining 2%. Taiwanese people may also refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed
cultural identity focused on
Taiwan or areas under the control of the
Government of the Republic of China since 1945, including
Penghu,
Kinmen, and
Matsu islands (see
Taiwan Area). At least three competing (occasionally overlapping) paradigms are used to identify someone as a Taiwanese person: nationalist criteria,
self-identification (including the concept of "New Taiwanese") criteria, and socio-cultural criteria. These standards are fluid, and result from evolving social and political issues. The complexity resulting from competing and evolving standards is compounded by a larger dispute regarding Taiwan's identity, the political status of Taiwan, and its potential
de jure Taiwan independence or
political integration with
China.