The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that the government is keeping close contact with Taiwanese students in Norway who are raising funds to sue the Norwegian government after it labeled them as being from China.
According to a Facebook page created by the students, the Norwegian government changed their residency cards to read “Kina/Taiwan.” Kina is the Norwegian word for China.
Despite protesting to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration and lawmakers, the students did not receive a positive response.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
In March last year, they filed a petition with immigration authorities, saying that the government’s disrespect of the Taiwanese people’s identity has contravened its own constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“However, the Norwegian government repeatedly delayed the process and then dismissed our petition on the grounds that ‘such designation does not affect the interested party’s rights and obligations in Norway,’” they said.
The group on Wednesday last week launched an online crowdfunding campaign to raise money to take the case to court in Norway, which they said would be costly and could take three to four years.
As of press time last night, the group had raised about NT$1.36 million (US$44,407), more than their first-phase target of NT$1.22 million. Their ultimate goal is NT$4.88 million.
“In the face of China’s overwhelming pressure, this is the first giant step toward Taiwanese people’s awakening. If you care about Taiwan’s national subjectivity and are willing to fight for Taiwan against the many injustices it suffers in the international arena, you are welcome to join us,” the group said on the crowdfunding site.
Ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) told local media that the ministry has been talking with the Norwegian government over the issue via its representative office in Sweden and is urging it to amend the name as soon as possible.
Taiwan’s representative office in Norway was closed in September last year as part of the ministry’s ongoing plan to streamline its structure. The office in Sweden is responsible for affairs in Norway.
The ministry has also continued to keep close contact with the students and would offer all necessary assistance, Lee said.
The group leader said they are aware of Taipei’s stance.
Lee also expressed the ministry’s appreciation for the group’s efforts to file a lawsuit.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
AGING: As of last month, people aged 65 or older accounted for 20.06 percent of the total population and the number of couples who got married fell by 18,685 from 2024 Taiwan has surpassed South Korea as the country least willing to have children, with an annual crude birthrate of 4.62 per 1,000 people, Ministry of the Interior data showed yesterday. The nation was previously ranked the second-lowest country in terms of total fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime. However, South Korea’s fertility rate began to recover from 2023, with total fertility rate rising from 0.72 and estimated to reach 0.82 to 0.85 by last year, and the crude birthrate projected at 6.7 per 1,000 people. Japan’s crude birthrate was projected to fall below six,
RSS