In a bid to avoid the confusion between "Republic of China" and "People's Republic of China," the Presidential Office decided to add the word "Taiwan" next to "Republic of China" on its Web site yesterday.
With that word, the country's formal title now reads as the "Republic of China (Taiwan)" rather than "Republic of China" in the English vision. Traditional and simplified Chinese characters are also included on the Web site also have the word "Taiwan."
Suggestions
"We received suggestions from our international friends stating that the name of `Republic of China' is often mistaken for the `People's Republic of China,'" Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗), Presidential Office spokesperson said yesterday. "In order to avoid the unnecessary confusion and inconvenience, we decided to add the word `Taiwan.'"
Although the map of Taiwan shown in the top-left corner indicates that the Web site is indeed about Taiwan, it is not conspicuous, Chen said.
Chen also said the Presidential Office received many letters from overseas which spoke of Chinese leaders such as former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (
Confusion
"These mistaken letters not only cause trouble for the Presidential Office but also bring inconvenience to the senders, as the office is unable to forward these letters to the Chinese government," Chen said.
China is usually referred to as the "People's Republic of China" in English. In order to reduce the confusion caused by the similarity of the two country's official names, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) announced in January 2002 that "Taiwan" would be added to the cover of all new Taiwanese passports.
The passport policy raised suspicions from opposition parties about a lurch toward independence.
The revised passports began to be issued in September 2003.
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