In order to keep up with calls to rectify the nation's title, a periodical which has been published by the Government Information Office (GIO) worldwide under the name of Sinorama (光華雜誌) over the past 30 years has had its name changed to Taiwan Panorama (台灣光華雜誌).
The GIO will subsequently work to promote the new name of the publication at the upcoming Taipei International Book Exhibition which is slated to run Tuesday through Feb 12.
Sinorama, which was founded on Jan. 1, 1976, is a monthly magazine published by the GIO and circulated internationally to introduce Taiwan's customs and traditions to the international community. It is published in two bilingual versions, Chinese-English and Chinese-Japanese.
Sixty percent of the magazines are circulated overseas, and the name change will make it easier for people to recognize the magazine as a Taiwanese publication, the GIO said.
The Cabinet and GIO Web sites will add the word "Taiwan" in both Chinese and English to correct the names of government agencies, and that the word "China" in laws will be changed to "our country," either by proposing amendments to such laws or by direct changes through an administrative order.
The Cabinet-level Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission was originally scheduled to have its name changed to the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, but this was postponed because some legislators felt that this change implies citizens residing overseas owe a duty to the nation, which is not the case.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) mention of Taiwan’s official name during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Wednesday was likely a deliberate political play, academics said. “As I see it, it was intentional,” National Chengchi University Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies professor Wang Hsin-hsien (王信賢) said of Ma’s initial use of the “Republic of China” (ROC) to refer to the wider concept of “the Chinese nation.” Ma quickly corrected himself, and his office later described his use of the two similar-sounding yet politically distinct terms as “purely a gaffe.” Given Ma was reading from a script, the supposed slipup
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The bodies of two individuals were recovered and three additional bodies were discovered on the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑) in Taroko National Park, eight days after the devastating earthquake in Hualien County, search-and-rescue personnel said. The rescuers reported that they retrieved the bodies of a man and a girl, suspected to be the father and daughter from the Yu (游) family, 500m from the entrance of the trail on Wednesday. The rescue team added that despite the discovery of the two bodies on Friday last week, they had been unable to retrieve them until Wednesday due to the heavy equipment needed to lift