Groups participating in international events should avoid using the name “Chinese Taipei,” which could be twisted to mean that Taipei is a part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
In guidelines published on Monday last week, the ministry said non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should prioritize using the nation’s official title, the Republic of China, or use the name “Republic of China (Taiwan)” when participating in international events.
The name “Taiwan” is also acceptable in circumstances under which the official title cannot be used, the ministry said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / DAVID CHANG
Titles that demote the nation’s status — such as “Taiwan, Province of China,” “Taiwan, China,” “Taipei, China” or “Chinese Taiwan” — are unacceptable, it said.
If NGOs are unable to use the preferred titles, they could recommend that event organizers refer to all participating nations, teams or groups with the names of their cities or organizations, it added.
The use of the name “Chinese Taipei” should also be avoided due to Beijing’s efforts to promote it as Zhongguo Taibei (“China Taipei,” 中國台北) in Mandarin, the ministry said.
If NGOs must use the name “Chinese Taipei” as their membership name, they should endeavor to refute or prevent the distortion of the name into “China Taipei” in Mandarin, it said, adding that “Chinese Taipei” should be listed under the letter “T” instead of the letter “C.”
While the guidelines mainly target registered NGOs participating in events abroad with help or financial support from the government, they could also apply to NGOs not partnered with the government that have been suppressed due to their membership names, the ministry said.
Taiwanese NGOs participate in international events, but due to Taiwan’s special diplomatic circumstances, they often face Chinese suppression, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
The guidelines were prepared by the ministry along with other government agencies to provide NGOs with guidance and prevent the nation’s status being degraded or the NGOs’ participation rights being violated, he said.
The guidelines serve as a reference for NGOs, Lee added.
The ministry had previously set internal guidelines to help NGOs maintain their membership at international organizations, he said, adding that those guidelines, as well as the preferred titles for the nation, have been in place for years.
In 1993, the ministry issued a set of guidelines for civil servants participating in international conferences or events at which Chinese Communist Party members would also be present.
The guidelines list “Taiwan” and “China Taiwan” as “inappropriate titles” for the nation.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique