Taiwan is “absolutely” not a province of China and the government would continue to protest the belittling of the nation’s sovereignty by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said yesterday.
Kolas made the remarks after the Control Yuan issued a news release about member Peter Chang’s (張武修) demand that the Cabinet ensure that relevant agencies take measures against the ISO’s “inappropriate” designation of Taiwan under ISO 3166 as “Taiwan (Province of China).”
The official name of the standard is “codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions.”
The ISO has since December 1974, when ISO 3166 was first published, referred to the nation as a province of China, Chang said.
Although the nation’s overseas representative offices have tried in vain to reconnect with the ISO, from which the nation withdrew in 1953, they are not to blame, given the international political climate, he said.
However, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has not endeavored to bring the nation’s standards in line with international norms, which has hampered the growth of the economy and the technology sector, Chang said.
The Cabinet should streamline interdepartmental efforts to revise the nation’s standards to conform with international standards, he said.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said that the ministry would duly convey the government’s stance on the nation’s sovereignty at international events.
Chang’s impression that the ministry has not worked hard enough to adhere to international standards could stem from the sheer number of products on the market, Tseng said, adding that the ministry would continue to streamline interdepartmental efforts to establish the standards.
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