The delegation led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on a state visit to the Dominican Republic — one of the nation’s allies — was referred to as “China, Taiwan” on embassy signs used to identify it.
An official with the embassy told the Taipei Times the signs were produced by the office as had been done in the past.
The flags of both countries were placed at the top of the signs, with the words “Special Mission” and “China, Taiwan” printed in Spanish underneath.
Ma’s delegation arrived in Santo Domingo late on Friday night and left yesterday morning. During their stay, members of the delegation were transported through the city in vehicles bearing the signs.
At the El Embajador hotel where the delegation spent two nights, a signboard bearing the words “embassy” and “China-Taiwan” were placed outside of conference rooms used by members of Ma’s delegation. Ma visited the Dominican Republic to attend the inauguration of Leonel Fernandez, who was sworn in for his third presidential term. Ma also held a bilateral meeting with Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca in a conference room with the title hanging on the outside wall.
Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Tsai Meng-hung (蔡孟宏) agreed to a press conference to answer media questions about the signs, but did not turn up.
An embassy official initially told the Taipei Times that the placards on the vehicles were too small to include even the country’s abbreviated official title in Spanish, “Rep. De China.”
When asked why the office did not use larger signs, the official said it would have impeded vision, as the placards were placed on the front windows of the vehicles.
However, the official then said the words “China, Taiwan” had been chosen because most people in the Dominican Republic would not know what “ROC, Taiwan” meant.
“The title ‘China, Taiwan’ has nothing to do with political ideology. Since you live in Taiwan, you consider it a way of downgrading [the nation], but for people in the Dominican Republic, when they say China, they are referring to our country,” he said.
He said the embassy had only started adding “Taiwan” to its name in the past few years to distinguish the office from China’s representative office in the Dominican Republic.
Alex Wang (王國平), president of Orquideas Santo Domingo, who has cultivated orchids in the Dominican Republic for more than 20 years, said most people in the Dominican Republic mean Taiwan when they say “China.”
“Our country has had ties with the Dominican Republic for more than 60 years, the People’s Republic of China [PRC] hasn’t,” he said. “When people in the Dominican Republic say China, mostly they are referring to us, not the PRC. But gradually, they are realizing we’re also called Taiwan.”
Asked for comment on the name used on the placards, National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起), a member of the delegation, said “the Dominican Republic is our ally and the ‘China’ it recognizes according to its one China principle is the Republic of China. That’s why it calls us ‘China.’”
Also See: Taipei to resume FTA talks with Dominican Republic
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS