Expressing “deep concern” over Air India becoming the latest international airline to abandon Taiwan’s designation as a nation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that the relevant Indian government agencies support corporations facing pressure from Beijing.
Upon discovering that the listing for Taiwan had been changed to “Taipei, Taoyuan International Airport, TPE, Chinese Taipei” on Air India’s online reservation service, the ministry immediately instructed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India to lobby New Delhi to revert the change, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said at a news conference in Taipei.
“We will continue to follow developments in this case to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty,” Lee said.
Screengrab from the Web site of Air India
“The ministry once again calls on the international community to stand up to the Chinese government’s abuse of political power and its peremptory measures with inappropriate intentions to meddle in the independent operations of enterprises in various countries,” he said.
Lee also called on the international community to uphold its dignity and principles by resisting Beijing’s unreasonable demands.
Air India is the flag carrier of India and is operated by state-owned Air India Ltd. It operates flights to 37 international destinations, including stops in Taipei made possible through a code-share agreement with EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空).
The Times of India yesterday quoted an Air India spokesperson as saying that the carrier was following instructions from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to change Taiwan to “Chinese Taipei” on its Web site.
The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration on April 25 sent a letter to 44 international airlines requesting that they change references to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau on their Web sites and in other company materials within 30 days, or suffer repercussions for “serious discreditable conduct.”
More than 20 airlines have since changed their listings of Taiwan to “Chinese Taipei” or “Taipei, CN,” including British Airways, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Delta Airlines, Qantas and Air Canada, while others have requested an extension until July 25.
China has slapped fines on global retailers for recognizing Taiwan as a nation, including a 200,000 yuan (US$30,147) penalty on Japanese retailer Muji in April.
Other companies, including Marriott International Inc and clothing company Zara, have issued apologies for listing Taiwan as a nation on their Web sites.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source