The Control Yuan yesterday chastised the Executive Yuan over the increased use of “Taiwan” to refer to the Republic of China (ROC) and “China” to refer to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in government publications.
Control Yuan member Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光) initiated the corrective measure, which was adopted by the Committee on Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs.
“The incorrect use of designations for our country and for mainland China not only deviates from [the government’s] policy of ‘one China, with each side having its own interpretation,’ but also confuses the public’s perception of national identity,” Ger said.
Citing Articles 1 and 35 of the ROC Constitution, Article 11 of the Amendment of the ROC Constitution and several provisions under the guidelines to address enterprises, academic institutions and groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), government and military, as well as personnel working at the organizations and their flags and songs (中共黨政軍機關企業學術機構團體旗歌及人員職銜統一稱謂實施要點), Ger said the Executive Yuan was failing to observe the rules.
Regardless of which country government publications are issued in and who their target audiences are, whenever the nation’s name is mentioned in any such publications, the “ROC” should be used, not “Taiwan,” Ger said.
The PRC should be referred to as either “mainland China” or the “Chinese Communist Party” in government publications, he added.
Executive Yuan spokesperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said that the Executive Yuan will request that all government agencies conduct a review of their publications and make the necessary corrections.
The Executive Yuan is required by Article 25 of the Control Act (監察法) to reply to the Control Yuan within two months on what measures it will take to address the problem.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said the censure was another example of the President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration’s “systematic” attempts to “de-Taiwanize,” following proposed changes in high-school history textbooks.
With the censure, government agencies have no reason not to use the name “ROC” more often than “Taiwan” in their references to the country, and the purpose is to make “Taiwan” a “geographic name, not a national symbol,” Chiu said.
Chiu said the Control Yuan has become an “accomplice” to Ma’s scheme to steer the nation toward “eventual unification” with China.
“What is the point of referring to the PRC as either ‘mainland China’ or the ‘Chinese Communist Party’ when it is widely known as ‘China’ in the international community? It serves no purpose but to console the administration,” DPP Legislator Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
The public expect the Control Yuan to punish public servants who neglect their duty or violate the law, but it often just closes the cases, leaving the officials unscathed, Lee said, citing the investigations into Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming’s (黃世銘) and Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong’s (張通榮) actions.
As the time for Ma to nominate candidates for the Control Yuan’s next term approaches, Control Yuan members raised the designation issue and the case of defector Justin Lin (林毅夫) to make it clear to the president that they firmly stand behind his political agenda and increase their chances of being nominated again, Lee said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) praised the censure measure, saying “Taiwan” is just a nickname.
“I am called A-lung at home or by my friends, but I use Tsai Chin-lung in all official documents,” he said.
Taiwan yesterday said it was looking forward to attending an upcoming memorial in Japan to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, a day after the Japanese city said it had retracted its previous decision to not invite Taiwan to the event. The case has been dealt with by Taiwan’s representative office in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki City Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry would decide who to send to the Aug. 9 event once it receives the invitation, it added. The ministry made the remarks following a Japanese media report on Saturday that said Nagasaki Mayor
LANDMARK: Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two would deepen bilateral ties President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged continued support for Haiti, particularly in food aid and healthcare, as the Caribbean nation faces ongoing social and economic challenges. Speaking at a meeting with Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, Lai said Taiwan would step up bilateral cooperation to help improve Haiti’s social infrastructure. Taiwan would continue supporting Haiti through initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, food security and overall development, he said. Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two nations would continue to support each other and deepen bilateral
UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
STRONG WINDS: Without the Central Mountain Range as a shield, people should be ready for high-speed winds, CWA weather forecaster Liu Yu-chi said Danas was yesterday upgraded to a typhoon and could grow stronger as it moves closely along the nation’s west coastline, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Hsinchu and Chiayi cities, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Nantou, Chiayi, Penghu and Pingtung counties have canceled work and school today. Work and school in Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Yilan, Taitung, Hualien, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties would continue as usual, although offices and schools would be closed in Taoyuan’s Luju (蘆竹), Dayuan (大園), Guangyin (觀音) and Sinwu (新屋) districts. As of 5pm yesterday, the typhoon’s
RSS