Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) urged China yesterday not to attempt to change the Chinese-language versions of Taiwan’s official Olympic title to avoid unnecessary disturbances that might interfere with the smooth running of the Games.
The government yesterday reached a consensus that the official title Chinese Taipei should be addressed as Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北) in Chinese and not Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北, Taipei, China),” Wang said.
LUNCH MEETING
Wang said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) had agreed upon this at their weekly lunch meeting.
Taiwan is officially known as Chinese Taipei by the International Olympic Committee after an agreement signed in Hong Kong in 1989.
That agreement specified that Taiwan would be referred to as Zhonghua Taibei in Chinese characters in any of the Games’ publications or public information, including brochures, invitation letters, athletic badges and media broadcasts.
Yang Yi (楊毅), spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council, said last Wednesday that both Zhonghua Tabei and Zhongguo Taibei were valid translations for Taiwan’s official English Olympic designation.
‘NOT DEGRADING’
Yang said that translating “Chinese Taipei” into Zhongguo Taibei was not degrading to Taiwan.
But Wang said: “In line with the long-term practices of the Olympic committee, it shouldn’t be a problem that Chinese Taipei be read as Zhonghua Taibei.”
Wang said that China should also agree to the translation of Zhonghua Taibei because both sides of the Strait had reached a consensus to set aside disputes.
Wang said that the government had set up an emergency response mechanism in case China makes a fuss of the issue and would handle any situation properly.
Everyone hopes that the Olympic Games can proceed smoothly, and we don’t want to see any unnecessary disturbances caused over this issue, Wang said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over