Chen downplays significance of name gaffe

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on Wednesday attended the inauguration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. While in Nicaragua, Chen was introduced as the president of "China-Taiwan," an appellation that Chen said resulted from the general state of confusion people in the international community suffer from when it comes to China and Taiwan.

Chen said that this underscored the importance of ratifying the nation's official title.

"It is clear that Taiwan and China are different," he told the press corps during a late night press conference.

Chen said that during conversations with Ortega on Tuesday, the latter used the name "Republic of China (Taiwan)" and then changed to the "Republic of Taiwan."

"We did not advertise this," Chen said, adding that how the nation is called in print and verbally can at times differ.

While the name "Taiwan" is the preferred choice, it was safer not to advertise Ortega's choice of words, as media outlets with bad intentions could have emphasized the incident to create problems, he said.

Holding a copy of a local newspaper on Wednesday, Chen said that the Nicaraguan press had used the short form of "China-Taiwan" in the headline to save space but that the story itself referred to Taiwan as "Republic of China (Taiwan)" or simply "Taiwan."

While discussing the value of "presidential diplomacy," Chen said that his trip to Nicaragua was important in his administration's effort to consolidate diplomatic relations with the Central American ally.

He denied that the purpose of his visit was "checkbook diplomacy," saying that relations with allies can be strengthened by various other means.

Describing Ortega's changing appellations for the nation as "colloquial," Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) urged the media to "refrain from making a mountain out of a molehill."

"It did not have any political meaning, nor was it an attempt to belittle Taiwan or an unfriendly gesture," he said. "We know our allies are under a lot of pressure from China and we don't want to return our allies' kindness with ingratitude."

Huang praised the master of ceremonies for doing a good job by adding "Taiwan" after "China," adding that the term "Republic of" was removed to "create a relaxed and unofficial atmosphere," which was compounded by the fact that there was no dress code during the event.

The event, which was scheduled to start at 3pm, was delayed by more than two hours because of the late arrival of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who earlier that day had attended his own swearing-in ceremony for another six-year term.

While the media focused on the interactions between Chen and Chavez, Chen said he thought the exchange between him and Mike Leavitt, US President George W. Bush's special envoy to the event, held a special significance.

Chen said he asked Leavitt to convey his appreciation to Bush for his administration's support for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) in an observer capacity. He also thanked Bush for approving his stopovers during the trip.

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