An American-held Taiwan after World War II

What if the United States took Taiwan instead of retaking the Philippines after World War II?

Taiwan might become an American-backed state before Chiang's retreat, producing a very different postwar settlement.

Moving the Taiwan counterfactual to the end of the Second World War changes its political setting. An established American administration might have created an independent Taiwanese state before Chiang Kai-shek's retreat from the mainland. Chiang could still withdraw there, but he would arrive in a territory with different institutions and a stronger American presence. Taiwan's history of changing rulers and local identity makes any simple claim of control misleading.