Good question. If the recognition of others is a deciding factor, then Taiwan was previously a nation (when its government was internationally recognised) but n

Good question. If the recognition of others is a deciding factor, then Taiwan was previously a nation (when its government was internationally recognised) but no longer is, which is a strange conclusion. Partly, it depends on whether the debate over nation status is a merely one of linguistics and categorisation or whether we're making ethical arguments. When Japan annexed Korea, did the Korean people cease to constitute a nation? When Japan annexed Taiwan, did Taiwan cease to rightfully belong to the Chinese government of the time? (As an aside, I think that no-one talking about the Taiwanese company's involvement in IP theft is a pretty good example of how the press is incentivised to lead with a sensationalised narrative that inflames sentiments, how people focus on facts that fit a pre-existing narrative, and a general bias against China).