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.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS