The other side of the story is that Taiwan was was ruled as part of a single China for centuries, it was the final holdout of the KMT government that was defeat

The other side of the story is that Taiwan was was ruled as part of a single China for centuries, it was the final holdout of the KMT government that was defeated when the communists took over, and it too would have fallen if it had not been protected by the United States. I'm on the side of independence as you are, but I can see why the PRC makes the claims it does.