President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday called on China Steel to change its name to avoid confusion with similarly named companies in China, arguing that name change is common in the industrial sector.
The president said he would let the company's employees make the final decision, but emphasized that the government would continue the name-change campaign.
"The bottom line is the company's name should not be confused with that of Chinese firms and should reflect Taiwan-centric consciousness," he said. "No matter what the company's name is, the contribution of the employees will continue to be highly appreciated."
Chen made the remarks while addressing a ceremony to mark the start of test-runs for China Steel's second hot-dipped galvanized steel line in Kaohsiung yesterday.
Chen pledged to proceed with the campaign to change company names on the condition that employees' welfare is protected and stockholders' interest preserved.
The president added that the administration would pay heed to different opinions on the matter because it did not want the campaign to undermine the relationship between companies and their employees.
When the administration added the word "Taiwan" on the cover of passports, Chen said, some people had said that Taiwanese travelers would not be able to travel freely abroad.
When the post office issued stamps marked with "Taiwan," some also argued that they would not be able to mail their letters to other countries, he said.
"But all that speculation proved wrong," he said.
Citing the examples of Taipei Bank and Taipei Hilton Hotel, Chen said it was a common practice for businesses to change their names.
"Even your next door neighbor, the China Shipbuilding Corp changed its name to China Shipbuilding Corp, Taiwan, earlier this month," he said. "Don't you think it's kind of odd to have Taiwan on one side of the wall and China on the other?"
Chen attributed the resistance to the name change campaign to national identification.
"When there is a will, there is a way, but if there's none, a simple, easy task becomes difficult," he said. "China Steel, China Airlines and China Shipbuilding Corp were named that way because the administration that named them did not have Taiwan in mind but identified themselves with China."
As a majority of the people identify themselves with Taiwan and think Taiwan is the best name for the nation, Chen said the public must take the matter seriously.
"Times are changing and so are ideas. We must break old habits and make adjustments accordingly," he said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it