Greater China

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greater China in dark green, and areas with strong Chinese cultural influence in light green

Greater China (simplified Chinese: 大中华地区; traditional Chinese: 大中華地區; pinyin: Dà Zhōnghuá Dìqū) is a term referring collectively to both the territories administered by the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and Macau) and territories administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan and some neighbouring islands)^{[citation needed]}. The term is most commonly used in the investment and economics community, referring to their growing economic interaction and integration. Occasionally, the term is meant to also include Mongolia, usually out of ignorance of the country's political dynamic.

The term is often used to refer to cultural and economic ties between these areas dating back to ancient times, often to avoid invoking sensitivities over the political status of Taiwan. Although geographically not part of East Asia, Singapore is sometimes included due to its sizeable overseas Chinese community which forms 75.6% of its native population. The approximately 7.59 million overseas Chinese in Malaysia are also occasionally included, particularly in the context of the Chinese contemporary music industry. "新马港台" (新 for Singapore; 马 for Malaysia; 港 for Hong Kong and 台 for Taiwan) was a phrase referring to the music scene in the four markets in Greater China, [1] though increasingly including the word "中" for mainland China itself.

Some Taiwan independence supporters object to the term as it implies an economic and cultural connection that they do not wish emphasized.^[1] Some supporters of Chinese reunification also object to the term as it implies that "Greater China" is different from China. Supporters of the One China concept would hold that all of Greater China is China.