Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) told the Taipei Times last night that he had formally approved yesterday the controversial proposal, submitted to him earlier in the day by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the words "Issued in Taiwan" be added to the cover of new Taiwan passports
The word will be placed alongside the country's formal designation "Republic of China."
Earlier in the day, officials, including the president, had sought to defuse domestic and cross-strait criticism of the move.
In addition, Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (
"Besides, it requires one-third of lawmakers to file such a request, and it's highly unlikely that that is going to happen," Lai said.
In a private dinner banquet with the Taipei Times and its sister paper, the Liberty Times, Chang said that the issue is quite different from a change to the country's official name.
"They're two separate issues," he said. "I have no idea why they mix them up."
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) took the nation by surprise when he announced on Sunday that the word "Taiwan" is to be added to the cover of Taiwanese passports. He did so on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Washington-headquartered Formosan Association for Public Affairs (台灣人公共事務會).
"It's the most precious gift for the occasion," he said.
Opposition parties then questioned why the foreign affairs ministry bypassed the Cabinet, and threatened to boycott the annual budget and bills awaiting final approval at the legislature if the government insists on the change.
According to Chang, the foreign affairs ministry presented three different proposals to him in December.
"I didn't approve any of them," he said. "I told them to present only one to me and it had to meet three criteria."
Firstly, he said, Taiwanese passports had to be made easily distinguishable from Chinese passports. Secondly, they had to retain the designation "Republic of China," and, thirdly, they had to follow international practice.
Earlier yesterday, in the face of criticism from China, officials tried to defuse the uproar over the Sunday announcement.
"We haven't changed the country's name. We've just added `Issued in Taiwan.' It's just like attaching the `Made in Taiwan' label to our products, and it's something in which we all feel pride," President Chen said.
Responding to criticism from opposition parties about the occasion and timing of his announcement on Sunday, he said, "The occasion was right. So was the timing. It also served as recognition of the efforts made over the past 20 years by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs."
China's state-run China Daily yesterday quoted an anonymous official at the Taiwan Affairs Office as saying the passport decision was a sign that Taiwan was "inching towards independence."
Also See Stories and Editorial:
Some say change reeks of independence
DPP takes issue with words `issued in'
Editorial: Passport clarification welcomed
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024 Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday. The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime. However, South Korea’s fertility rate began to recover from 2023, with total fertility rate rising from 0.72 and estimated to reach 0.82 to 0.85 by last year, and the crude birthrate projected at 6.7 per 1,000 people. Japan’s crude birthrate was projected to fall below six,
RSS