"Taiwan, China" (simplified Chinese: 中国台湾; traditional Chinese: 中國臺灣 or "Taiwan, Province of China" simplified Chinese: 中国台湾省; traditional Chinese: 中國臺灣省) is a set of politically controversial and potentially ambiguous terms that characterize Taiwan and its associated territories as a province or territory of "China". However, the term is problematic and potentially ambiguous because since 1949, two sovereign states with the name "China" exist, namely the Republic of China (ROC, founded 1912 and now commonly known as "Taiwan") and the People's Republic of China (PRC, founded 1949 and now commonly known as "China").