Here are some questions right out of the TV show Jeopardy: What is the difference between the "Republic of China (ROC)" and the "People's Republic of China (PRC)"? What is the difference between the ROC and PRC national flags? What is the difference between the ROC and PRC passports? Not only are most people in the world clueless to these differences, but many people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have similar difficulties. In fact, Taiwanese travelers have just about accepted being regularly mistaken for PRC citizens during their international travels as the normal state of affairs.
During the 20th anniversary of the founding of the US-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), President Chen Shui-bian (
As to how the new policy will be implemented, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has two main options:
1. Place the parenthesized word "Taiwan" after the words "Republic of China" on passport covers. This, however, runs the risk being seen as formally changing the country's name or conceding that Taiwan is a PRC province.
2. Add the words "issued in Taiwan" on the lower half of passport covers.
MOFA is going with plan 2, the one that it was hoped would have the smallest level of backlash. Unfortunately, it still triggers debate in and out of Taiwan. The pro-China political party in the nation -- the PFP -- and the spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office in China -- Zhang Mingqing (
This newspaper supports MOFA's move, because it is the most pragmatic approach. The ROC was founded before the PRC. Even after 1949, the ROC's independence from the PRC was still a fact, although the former's territory had decreased in size. As an independent sovereign state, the ROC government can decide whatever kind of cover it wants on its passports.
Next, although the constitutionally defined ROC territory still covers China and the ROC's official capitol is still Nanking, it is clearly stated on ROC passports that the place of issuance is the country's temporary capitol of Taipei. Without question, this is a constitutional administrative measure.
The "ROC on Taiwan" has become the widely accepted name for the country. Adding the words "issued in Taiwan" on passport covers, in reality, means the same as "ROC on Taiwan." The opposition finds the name "ROC on Taiwan" acceptable, yet strongly opposes the new passport cover. This is simply a political maneuver, intended to make the government look bad, and provide an excuse to cut MOFA's budget.
Recently, a debate over what is "one China" has been taking place among media, members of the US Congress and diplomats in Washington. Many people submitted letters to newspapers, arguing over what is ROC, PRC and "one China." Even those in Washington who are most knowledgeable on China issues are becoming confused.
Of course, the new passport cover does not work as well as the name "Republic of Taiwan" in terms of avoiding confusion. But, to avoid additional controversy, adding the words "issued in Taiwan" is acceptable, for now.
A recent report concerning a student who is suing his teacher posed the question in its headline: Does failing a student in two subjects constitute bullying? The college student in Chiayi County apparently sought NT$2 million (US$63,603) in state compensation, but a court dismissed the case. The first reaction of many might have been to ask: What has happened to students nowadays? Some say that teachers have lost their authority, while others say students are overindulged. Some even start reminiscing over the days when “whatever the teacher says goes.” However, the real issue might be overlooked if emotional reactions like that are the
When I visited Taiwan last summer, I called on the nation to use its status as a technology superpower to build superweapons. It is obvious to me as I return a year later that Taiwan is now answering that call. By 2030, Taiwan envisions a domestic drone hub, capable of producing large quantities of drones per year. The nation continues to tighten cooperation across the private sector, scientific researchers and the elected government, on creating new and innovative production avenues for defense, while efforts to become central to the “democratic supply chain” are only increasing. Anduril is seeing all of these positive
Singaporean former Prime Minister and current senior minister Lee Hsien- Loong(李顯龍) last month stood on Chinese soil and told Beijing that Singapore cooperates because of “shared interests”, not because of common “ethnic descent,” a significant statement that has upended China’s cognitive warfare tactics of “ethnic nationalism.” Along with using its military buildup and economic growth to expand its international dominance, China has long deployed ethnic politics to promote the idea that all ethnic Chinese around the world, regardless of citizenship, share a tight bond with the Chinese motherland, by which it means the regime of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
Taiwan’s economic momentum, driven by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products, remains strong, with booming demand for advanced semiconductors, servers and key components. In the first quarter, GDP expanded 14.55 percent year-on-year, the second consecutive quarter of double-digit percentage growth and accelerating from the 12.95 percent expansion in the previous quarter, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported on Friday. Net exports remained the dominant driver of growth, contributing 10.33 percentage points to Taiwan’s GDP growth in the first quarter. That came as exports rose 35.76 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, outpacing 26.34 percent growth in imports, the
RSS