Pro–Republic of China sentiment

Pro–Republic of China or simply pro-ROC is a political alignment that supports the Republic of China in terms of politics, economy, society, and culture.
Pro-ROC is sometimes synonymous with pro-Taiwan in context. However, "pro-Taiwan" has more to do with the pro-independence Pan-Green Coalition, which focuses on regionalist Taiwanese identity, and "pro-ROC" has more to do with the Pan-Blue Coalition, which opposes Taiwanese independence and advocates for the identity of the Republic of China.

By location

Mainland China (since 1949)

In 1949, the ROC government lost control of mainland China retreated to Taiwan. The establishment of the PRC government led to a Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries. This nearly wiped out pro-ROC political forces in mainland China.
With the improvement of cross-strait relations since the 1980s, the people of mainland China have more opportunities to contact Taiwan. Some dissident pro-democracy activists expressed their admiration for the post-reform liberal democratic ROC political system and formed pro-ROC organizations, which are illegal under PRC rule.

Hong Kong

There have historically been numerous pro-ROC organizations in Hong Kong, as pro-ROC soldiers defected to British Hong Kong in 1949 after the ROC and its ruling party, the Kuomintang, lost the Chinese Civil War. Among the pro-ROC groups were trade unions such as Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council, triads supporting the KMT, and companies and private organizations.
In the early 1980s, the pro-ROC camp formed the mainstream of conservatism in Hong Kong. However, in the 1980s, the pro-ROC camp began to be pushed out of the mainstream of Hong Kong's conservatism, as the Chinese Communist Party embraced business elites, professionals, and rural leaders, who were previously pro-ROC, with the united front.
The pro-ROC camp was further weakened by the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, which made Hong Kong officially a territory of the PRC. In 2008, with Ma Ying-jeou taking office as president of the Republic of China, the pro-Beijing Hong Kong government reduced its repression of the pro-ROC camp in Hong Kong. However, since the implementation of the 2020 Hong Kong national security law, many pro-ROC organizations have been severely suppressed.

Japan (since 1945)

In Japan, "pro-ROC" is distinct from "pro-Taiwan" because it supports the ROC and not Taiwan independence. Shortly after the Surrender of Japan, Chiang Kai-shek's mainland ROC government adopted conciliatory post-war policies, such as waiving war reparations. This stance, combined with Chiang's staunch anti-communist beliefs, has traditionally led Japanese conservatives to view him positively. Sankei president funded the construction of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The Japan–ROC Cooperation Committee was established in 1957 with the support of the Republic of China government to promote political, economic, and cultural cooperation between Japan and Taiwan; it was associated with pro-ROC Liberal Democratic Party politicians.
The ROC and Japan had established diplomatic relations until 1972. The World League for Freedom and Democracy, an international anti-communist organization founded by Chiang in 1952, featured Japanese ultranationalists such as Ryōichi Sasakawa and Yoshio Kodama.
In a visit to Taiwan on January 6th, 2026, Japanese House of Councillor Hei Seki stated "Taiwan is Taiwan, Taiwan is the Republic of China" and the trip proved that Taiwan is an independent country.

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

Republic of Korea is pro-ROC sentiment stems from KMT's sponsorship of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea during the Korea under Japanese rule. South Korea was the ROC's last official diplomatic partner in Asia, maintaining diplomatic ties until 1992, when it established diplomatic ties with the PRC instead.

Taiwan under Japanese rule

In Taiwan under Japanese rule, the Taiwanese nationalist movement interacted with the main political forces of the then-mainland Republic of China; the Taiwanese People's Party approached the Kuomintang and the Taiwanese Communist Party approached the Chinese Communist Party. During this time, Taiwanese nationalists were not much differentiated from Chinese nationalists.

United States

Frank Kellogg was the Secretary of State and he followed the advice of Nelson Johnson, the new chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs. They favored China and protected it from threats from Japan. The key to Chinese sovereignty in foreign policy was to gain control of tariff rates, which Western powers had set at a low 5%, and to end the extra territoriality by which Britain and the others controlled Shanghai and other treaty ports. Kellogg and Johnson successfully negotiated tariff reform with China, thereby giving enhanced status to the Kuomintang and helping get rid of the unequal treaties. China was reunified by a single government, led by the Kuomintang in 1928. With American help China achieved some of its diplomatic goals in 1928–1931.
Douglas MacArthur served as commander of the United Nations forces during the Korean War from July 8, 1950, to April 11, 1951. MacArthur advocated for a more aggressive military strategy to support the ROC, which had retreated to Taiwan under Chiang Kai-shek. When People's Liberation Army intervened in the Korean War, he devised a plan to use the Republic of China Armed Forces based in Taiwan to attack the mainland occupied by the People's Republic of China. However, this plan was not realized due to opposition from President Harry S. Truman.