Following a US diplomatic faux pas in which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) was referred to as “President Xi of the Republic of China,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has been using both “the Republic of China (ROC)” and “Taiwan” alternatively as the nation’s name since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office.
A White House transcript of US President Donald Trump’s public remarks with Xi in Hamburg, Germany, was released — before the two men met on the sidelines of the G20 summit — by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, referring to Xi as the president of the Republic of China.
The White House did not immediately comment on the diplomatic blunder, but it later corrected Xi’s title to “President Xi of China” without issuing a notice of retraction.
Photo: CNA
Since Tsai took office, the ministry said it has begun calling foreign dignitaries’ visits to Taiwan in its news releases as “fang tai” (訪台) — which means visiting Taiwan — instead of “fang hua” (訪華), which mean visiting Zhonghua Minguo (中華民國), the ROC.
The Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee last year advised the ministry to make as many references to Taiwan as possible in its communications with foreign governments to help counter China’s claims that Taiwan belongs to it.
At the time, the ministry responded positively, saying that it did not foresee any obstacles to implementing the policy and that it would do so when circumstances permit.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) yesterday said the ministry’s policy favoring the use of the name Taiwan in communications is appropriate, as Taiwan is a “neutral geographic term.”
“As proven by the fact that polls show more than half of the nation’s population agrees that ‘Taiwan’ should someday replace ‘the Republic of China’ as the name of the nation, Taiwanese identify with their land far more than with the fictitious ROC. This issue is separate from declaring a ‘Republic of Taiwan,’ and it will prevent foreign allies from confusing us with China,” the lawmaker said.
In related news, DPP Tainan City Councilor Lee Wen-cheng (李文正) yesterday said the continued use of the term “China” as part of the nation’s name can foster confusion with the People’s Republic of China.
Members of the public had complained that the Web site of Malaysia’s national railways company, KTM, identifies Taiwan as “Province of Taiwan” and “Taiwan, Province of China,” while Hong Kong is identified simply as “Hong Kong.”
It is saddening that the nation’s foreign affairs officials are idle at their posts while collecting their salaries, he said.
The public must understand that Taiwan’s sovereignty “will not fall from the heavens into our laps or be granted through Chinese charity,” he said, adding that he would call on Malaysia’s representative office to urge the Web site be corrected.
The ministry last night said that it had ordered its representative office in Kuala Lumpur to demand that the Malaysian Ministry of Transport make corrections.
“As long as Taiwan uses the name ‘Republic of China,’ we will be associated with China. China does not care how much goodwill we show to it, because it can tell the world that Taiwan is its province, as seen with KTM. For Taiwan to be respected, the fundamental solution is to tell the world that the nation is not part of the ROC or China, without ambiguity,” Tsai said.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS