The name that matters
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) said his friends call him A-lung, but his name is still Tsai Chin-lung on official documents, so “Taiwan” should be considered just a nickname for the Republic of China (ROC) (“Control Yuan chastises use of ‘Taiwan,’” Jan. 23, page 1.)
Ironically, on July 16, 2009, when the Eighth World Games were being held in Kaohsiung and on Sept. 5, 2009, for the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei, the official name announced by the master of ceremonies at both events was “Chinese Taipei,” not the “ROC.”
Legally, “Chinese Taipei” means the Chinese government exiled in Taipei. The ROC is no longer a sovereign state, as it is not recognized by the international community or by bodies such as the UN. Although the ROC is still listed on the UN Charter, it has been officially succeeded as the representative of China by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
On Oct. 1, 1949, former Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東) proclaimed the establishment of the PRC and said that the ROC was dead.
Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) also admitted to his staff in 1949 that the ROC was dead.
So what is Taiwan’s official name?
Before the end of World War II, Taiwan was known as “Formosa” to the international community. After the war, Formosa and the Pescadores were known as Taiwan and under the Taipei Treaty, Taiwanese were deemed to be ROC nationals.
Now, more than 77 percent of the nation’s inhabitants call themselves Taiwanese, not Chinese. As of yet, “Taiwan” has not been officially used in the ROC Constitution, which would require a passage of an amendment by the now-defunct National Assembly or the Legislative Yuan. The only legal documents after World War II to use the name “Taiwan” are the San Francisco Peace Treaty, the Taipei Treaty and the US’ Taiwan Relation Act.
Section 15, Article 2 of the act says: “The term ‘Taiwan’ includes, as the context may require, the islands of Taiwan and the Pescadores, the people on those islands, corporations and other entities and associations created or organized under the laws applied on those islands, and the governing authorities on Taiwan recognized by the United States as the Republic of China prior to January 1, 1979, and any successor governing authorities (including political subdivisions, agencies, and instrumentalities thereof).”
This means the ROC is included in Taiwan, rather than Taiwan belonging to the ROC.
The Control Yuan has chastised the Executive Yuan over its use of “China” to refer to the PRC and “Taiwan” to refer to the ROC. This is like a frog at the bottom of a well viewing the world through a tiny hole or a blind man feeling an elephant’s leg and calling it a post.
All 193 member states of the UN commonly refer to the PRC as China. The Control Yuan and Tsai really need to go back to school and study history.
Taiwan is the real name of the nation, not a nickname.
John Hsieh
Hayward, California
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