A group of UK legislators urged a UK-based English-language proficiency test company to correct the designation of Taiwan on its Web site, which implies that the nation is part of China.
In a joint letter issued on Jan. 28 and addressed to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Nigel Evans and Dennis Rogan, the cochairs of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, together with 44 legislators, called on the British Council, the chief manager of the test and its global partners to change the designation of Taiwan on its Web site from “Taiwan, China” to “Taiwan.”
Calling it a surprise to learn that IELTS had made the decision to change the designation from “Taiwan” to “Taiwan, China” in October last year, the letter said the changed designation is “inaccurate and misleading,” as Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Photo: Wikipedia
The legislators said that the wrongful designation is contrary to the UK’s longstanding policy of referring to Taiwan as simply “Taiwan,” quoting a July 10 statement by British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field.
“The change has resulted in great confusion and protest among Taiwanese people and the IELTS community. Many Taiwanese students and professionals who take the IELTS feel their rights and nationality are being sacrificed,” the letter said, adding that IELTS has offered no public explanation for its decision.
The legislators concluded that the decision was made due to pressure from Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of the PRC’s territory.
IELTS apparently made the decision based on commercial interests, the letter said, urging the company not to bow to Chinese pressure.
“Although IELTS is a private enterprise, it should not have the terms of its business dictated by a foreign government. Succumbing to this political pressure undermines our democratic principles and harms the free operations of international business,” it said.
The letter further noted that UK-Taiwan educational exchanges have significantly increased over the years, with about 12,000 Taiwanese studying in the UK as of 2017.
“For many Taiwanese students and professionals, taking the IELTS is an essential stepping stone to study and work in the UK. If IELTS were to change the designation to ‘Taiwan,’ it may well allow the UK to continue increasing its educational exchanges with Taiwan,” it said.
The letter concluded by reiterating its call for IELTS to reconsider its decision and amend Taiwan’s designation on the IELTS Web site as soon as possible.
Established in 1989, IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, frequently taken by Taiwanese students before applying to study at academic institutions in Australia, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move by IELTS last year, criticizing Beijing for again “blatantly interfering with private-sector commercial activities and international business operations with political means.”
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. A spokesperson for Indonesia disaster mitigation agency said there were no reports of damage so far. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province, said their evacuation was underway in coastal villages and there were no reported casualties so far. DZBB radio, broadcasting from the
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
RSS