What strait separates Taiwan from mainland China?

The strait separating Taiwan from mainland China is the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwan Strait is the stretch of water between Taiwan Island and China’s Fujian coast. It connects the South China Sea to the south with the East China Sea to the north and forms a major route for commercial shipping in East Asia.

The strait is generally shallow because it lies across the Asian continental shelf. Its geography has shaped migration, trade, military strategy, and political relations for centuries. The Penghu Islands sit within the strait, roughly between Taiwan and the mainland, and have long been important for navigation and defense.

A common mix-up is the Luzon Strait, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines to the south. The Bashi Channel is a passage within that broader Taiwan–Philippines maritime area. The Korea Strait, by contrast, lies between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. “Taiwan Strait” is the standard geographic name, although “Taiwan–China strait” is sometimes used descriptively.