Greater China
"Greater China" is an informal term describing a geographical area sharing cultural and economic ties with the Chinese people. The notion contains a "great deal of ambiguity in its geographical coverage and politico-economic implications", because some users use it to refer to "the commercial ties among ethnic Chinese, whereas others are more interested in cultural interactions, and still others in the prospects for political reunification" but usually refers to an area encompassing Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, places where the majority population is culturally Chinese. Some analysts may also include places which have predominantly ethnic Chinese population such as Singapore. The term can be generalised to encompass "linkages among regional Chinese communities".
Greater China | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 大中華 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 大中华 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Vietnamese alphabet | Đại Trung Hoa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Chữ Hán | 大中華 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Korean name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hangul | 중화권 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Hanja | 中華圈 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kanji | 中華圏 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kana | ちゅうかけん | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kyūjitai | 中華圈 |
The term's usage is contested; some observers in Taiwan characterise the term as harmful or a conflation of distinct polities and markets, while the Chinese government has avoided it, either to allay fears of its economic expansionism or to avoid suggesting Taiwan and the People's Republic of China are on equal footing. Australian sinologist Wang Gungwu has characterised the concept as a "myth", and "wrong" if applied to overseas Chinese communities.