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.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a