ROC, PRC titles should be abolished, says legislator

A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday that both Taiwan and China should change their national designations to avoid confusion.

Speaking during a meeting at the Legislative Yuan on affairs of state, DPP Legislator Chen Chung-hsin (陳重信) said that when US President George W. Bush met with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on the lawn outside the White House for an official meeting on Thursday, the People's Republic of China was incorrectly referred to by the announcer as the Republic of China prior to the playing of the national anthems.

Chen attributed the fiasco to the fact that Taiwan's official title of the "Republic of China" was too similar to China's.

Chen suggested that both countries discard their confusing national designations altogether and simply call themselves China and Taiwan.

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said the mistake by the announcer at the White House reflected the fact that it was imperative and justifiable for Taiwan to change its official name.