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`Taiwan' will be used for publicity, GIO head says

"The Republic of China" remains Taiwan's formal national title, Government Information Office Director-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa on Wednesday.

Lin, who is accompanying Premier Yu Shyi-kun on his three-country diplomatic tour of the country's diplomatic allies, made the remarks after Yu referred to the country as "Taiwan, ROC" in his speech to the Honduran legislature.

Lin said the new abbreviation would be standardized so that the nation's diplomats can easily follow it in their day-to-day diplomatic engagements and publicity campaign.

"If we just refer to our country as the ROC, the designation cannot highlight `Taiwan,'" Lin said.

He said that the international publicity posters and advertisements to be released later this month to solicit support for Taiwan's bid to join the UN will all bear the slogan "Today's Taiwan, ROC."

He said that "ROC" is still Taiwan's formal national title, and that the government's official documents will continue to carry this title.

As for international publicity materials, Lin said "Taiwan" will be the most favored designation.

The nation's designation in the International Olympic Committee and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will remain unchanged as "Chinese Taipei," he said.

Yu and his entourage arrived in Honduras on Tuesday for a two-day official visit. Other members of Yu's entourage include Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Huang Lung-yuan (黃瓏元) and a dozen senior executives of major commerce and industry associations.

Members of the pan-green camp said yesterday that Yu's announcement was a practical response to the international environment, although they still thought that simply using "Taiwan" would reduce confusion. But the pan-blue camp said that "Taiwan, ROC" was causing greater confusion.

"Yu is making overseas visits on behalf of the country, and he is making visits as the premier of the Republic of China. If everyone keeps on offering different national names, it would not help but hurt our diplomacy," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) said.
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