Unification of China, Chinese unification (simplified Chinese: 中国统一; traditional Chinese: 中國統一; pinyin: Zhōngguó tǒngyī; literally: "China unification"), or Cross-Strait (Re)unification (simplified Chinese: 海峡两岸统一; traditional Chinese: 海峽兩岸統一; pinyin: Hǎixiá liǎng'àn tǒngyī; literally: "Two shores of strait unification"), refers to the potential political unification of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), into a single sovereign state.The Republic of China was founded in 1912 to govern Mainland China, which the PRC now governs, after defeating the Imperial Qing government.