The online publication of the official guide to the Taipei Summer Universiade in English has come under fire from New Power Party (NPP) legislators for using the name “Chinese Taipei” rather than Taiwan, resulting in “absurd” descriptions of the nation, such as “Chinese Taipei is a special island.”
NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) posted two screenshots of the guide on his Facebook page on Monday night, which he described as “absurd English phraseology.”
One of the screenshots showed page 21 of the guide, under “General Information,” which states: “Introduction of Our Island — Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei is long and narrow that lies north to south.”
Photo: CNA
The Universiade offers “the best chance to market Taiwan to the world, but it is surprising that we have to introduce ourselves in such a frustrating way. We must work harder to join the global community under the name Taiwan,” Huang said.
NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) also posted a screenshot of page 25 of the guide, which states: “Chinese Taipei is a special island and its capital Taipei is a great place to experience Taipei’s culture. It is hoped that the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade will allow Chinese Taipei to be in the spotlight of the world, attract the world to Chinese Taipei and let the world remember Chinese Taipei.”
Lim added a comment: “Welcome to Taipei, Chinese Taipei!”
Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang (楊景棠) said the term “Chinese Taipei” was used in accordance with the agreement between the International Olympic Committee, Lausanne and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, Taipei, in 1981.
The application for holding the Universiade was submitted by the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, and since the Universiade is an international event, Taiwan must conform to the agreement, Yang said.
Moreover, the Universiade is hosted by the International University Sports Federation, so all official published content must be reviewed by the federation, he said.
FLIGHT RISK? The driver of the truck that slid onto the tracks, causing the crash, was released on NT$500,000 bail, but prosecutors have requested that he be detained Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday listed three priorities in response to the deadliest accident involving a Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) train in the past 40 years: rescuing the injured, clearing the single-track tunnel and assisting the families of the victims. Taroko Express No. 408, traveling from New Taipei City to Taitung on Friday morning, derailed as it entered the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林). Of the 496 people on board, including four TRA personnel, 51 had died and 188 were injured as of 7pm yesterday, after the train hit a crane truck that had slid down a slope
IN A HURRY: The 199,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine expire on May 31, so the CECC might expand vaccine eligibility, but distribution would begin in a week at the earliest The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines allocated to Taiwan through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing program arrived yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, adding that, after testing, it would be able to distribute them by Monday next week at the earliest. The 199,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were shipped from Amsterdam on a China Airlines (中華航空) plane and arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5:21am. After the cargo was examined and release procedures were completed at the airport, the Aviation Police Bureau escorted the vehicles carrying the vaccines to a cold chain storage facility. Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General
HEATED TRAFFIC: As Beijing holds naval drills near Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense said it had a full grasp of the situation and would handle it ‘appropriately’ A Chinese carrier group exercising near Taiwan is part of what are to be regular drills, the Chinese navy said in a statement late on Monday, further escalating tensions between Taipei and Beijing. The group, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning, was conducting “routine” drills in the waters around Taiwan, a move to “enhance its capability to safeguard national sovereignty, safety and development interests,” the statement said. “Similar exercises will be conducted regularly,” it said, without elaborating. The statement came after the Ministry of National Defense earlier on Monday issued a statement regarding a rise in the number of incursions by Chinese jets into
AIMED AT TAIWAN? Institute for National Defense and Security Research research fellow Ou Si-fu said chips can be ‘bought off the shelf’ and then used in weapons The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday said that chips from Taiwanese semiconductor companies were not making their way into Chinese missiles “to the best of our knowledge.” A report in yesterday’s Washington Post alleged that a Chinese company named Phytium Technology Co (飛騰) used chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), along with US software, in advanced Chinese military systems. “TSMC has long placed strict controls on their chips. The export of high-tech products from Taiwan is also highly regulated,” Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said. “According to our understanding, none of the end uses for those products
RSS