Pan-green supporters yesterday called for a boycott against EVA Air on a Web site forum, accusing the corporation of pro-China sentiment, highlighting a reference to "the pride of the Chinese people" on the company's Web site.
A picture of the EVA Airway official Web site, featuring a close-up of a paragraph mentioning "the pride of the Chinese people," was posted on the online forum of the pro-green newspaper South News on Wednesday. The author, identified only as "midigear," added to the picture in bold red lettering, "Protest! Chinese? Sorry, the Taiwanese won't pay the bill."
Next Magazine reported last month that references to the "Wings of Taiwan" on the EVA Air Web site's corporate profile had been replaced with "Pride of the Chinese people."
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
However, the English-language version of the Web site remains unchanged, stating "From the wellspring of its Taiwanese heritage, [the Evergreen Group] built on the strengths of its culture and created EVA Air -- the Wings of Taiwan."
EVA Air public relations officer Liu Li-wen (
"There is no particular hidden meaning to be found in "pride of the Chinese people. This is very common wording," Liu told the Taipei Times yesterday.
But she added that the "Wings of Taiwan" slogan was now outdated and had been replaced with "Just relax -- your home in the air."
Choosing green for the color of everything from the interior of the carriers to the uniforms worn by its employees, EVA Airways had previously been regarded as a "pro-green corporation" and as a pro-localization alternative to China Airlines.
In addition, Chang Jung-fa (
Media reports claimed that Chang had switched his political loyalties during the run-up to the March election. Chang wanted a candidate that would "build a peaceful, stable and harmonious cross-strait relationship in order to lead us to re-create Taiwan's economic miracle."
Chang expressed his dissatisfaction with the failure to lift bans on direct links with China.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based