Taiwan’s airline is China Airlines, Taiwan’s banking is China Trust, Taiwan’s oil is China Petroleum, Taiwan’s communications are China Telecom; Taiwan speaks Chinese and has the same dialect as across the strait, Taiwan’s streets are named after mainland cities (unlike Hong Kong), the “local cuisine” is Chinese cuisine (and Taiwan competes in the Olympics as “Chinese Taipei”).

It’s strange you bring up Taiwan having “its own currency” when Hong Kong has the same and is by all accounts not an “independent country.” Obviously having one’s “own currency” does not automatically translate to national independence, and nearly every country, and the UN officially, recognizes Taiwan as a part of the PRC.