I think calling Taiwan a separate culture would make it worse from a PRC point of view (and for the many Taiwanese who don't speak Taiwanese). The official lang

I think calling Taiwan a separate culture would make it worse from a PRC point of view (and for the many Taiwanese who don't speak Taiwanese). The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, just like in the PRC. Many people on both sides of the strait speak mutually intelligible dialects at home. There's no clear difference between both countries in that regard. Hong Kong is a part of China, and still has its own flag, passport, currency, and linguistic identity. The only caveat is that you have to call it a "region". So if you have a drop-down with China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, you simply prefix it "Country or region", and nobody can technically be offended.