Despite UNESCO's decision not to publish Taiwanese student Yang Chih-yuan's (
"We feel that Yang had courage in this matter, and we want to let the world know what peace is. Yang worked hard, but his painting will not be published by the United Nations because of pressure from China. We respect what Yang accomplished," said Su Dai-hsiung (蘇達雄), chief of the philatelic section of Chunghwa Post.
Yang, 15, who attends Hsinpu Junior High School, was one of six teenagers who won a recent worldwide contest by UNESCO to mark International Peace Day. While Yang's painting had been selected to be circulated as a commemorative postage stamp, UNESCO disqualified Yang following protests from China. Yang's painting had featured flags from around the world, one of which was Taiwan's flag.
Lions Club International, which had sponsored the poster-designing contest and invited young people from around the world to participate, currently holds the copyright to Yang's drawing. While Chunghwa Postal intends to publish Yang's work, authorization from Lions Club International has yet to be given.
Chen Cheng-te (陳正德), secretary general of the Lions Club's Taiwan chapter, explained that the organization's lawyers were already looking into the legal issues involved in authorizing the local circulation of Yang's work as a stamp, but said that the details had yet to be worked out.
"We conveyed our protest to the UN over this issue already. If the contest is really about peace, should politics be able to intervene?" Chen said. "Large nations should treat smaller nations with compassion and not intimidation. Cross-strait issues should be resolved with wisdom."
Chen admitted however that he could only speak on behalf of the Taiwan chapter, as he was unaware of Lions Club International's stance on the issue.
Su said Chunghwa Post wants to promote an image of peace by publishing Yang's work on commemorative stamps on International Peace Day, Sept. 21.
However, Su explained that Chunghwa Post's handling of the matter would be "low-key," saying that it would avoid mentioning Chinese obstruction of UNESCO's publication of Yang's work.
"We won't make a big deal of what happened for fear of what it could lead to," Su said.
Su added, however, that while the company generally seeks to capitalize on current market trends in its selection of stamp designs, "if there are political needs, we're willing to cooperate." The Presidential Office had earlier suggested that Yang's work be published as a stamp.
"This will be the first student work to be published as a stamp. In the past, we usually chose to use the work of well-known artists," Su said. He said the company had already had plans to encourage artistic endeavor among the nation's youths by publishing selected amateur works as stamps, and that Yang's painting had presented a good opportunity to put this idea into practice.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS