Russia is to call Taiwan a part of China in identification documents for Taiwanese visiting during the FIFA World Cup, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Russian authorities require spectators of the soccer tournament — scheduled to begin on Thursday next week — to apply for a “Fan ID” that is to be presented at customs and stadium checkpoints.
Taiwanese spectators would be forced to select “Taiwan (China)” when applying on the Fan ID registration Web site, West Asia and African Affairs Department Deputy Director-General Grace Lo (羅靜如) told a regular news conference at the ministry in Taipei.
Photo: Dave Carroll, Taipei Times
Taipei’s requests for Russia to reconsider the policy have been rejected by Moscow, which cited its recognition of Beijing’s “one China” principle, as well as the technical difficulties involved in changing official security documents on short notice, she said.
The Representative Office in Taipei for the Moscow-Taipei Coordination Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation is continuing negotiations in the hopes that Russian officials would correct the information on the Fan ID registration Web site, she added.
Games are to take place in 11 Russian cities, including Moscow and the exclave of Kaliningrad, Lo said.
The Fan IDs would permit multiple border entries for 10 days before and after the World Cup, she said.
Although traveling to Kaliningrad from Russia by rail would require passing through Belarus, travelers do not need to obtain a visa from the Belarussian government, Lo said, adding that presenting a passport and Fan ID would be sufficient.
However, the documents do not allow travelers to visit Belarus, she said.
Asked whether the “Taiwan (China)” listing has resulted in any Taiwanese Fan IDs being sent to China, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that it has not received any such complaint.
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
‘EXTREME PRESSURE’: Beijing’s goal is to ‘force Taiwan to make mistakes,’ Admiral Tang Hua said, adding that mishaps could serve as ‘excuses’ for launching a blockade China’s authoritarian expansionism threatens not only Taiwan, but the rules-based international order, the navy said yesterday, after its top commander said in an interview that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could blockade the nation at will. The object of Beijing’s expansionist activities is not limited to Taiwan and its use of pressure is not confined to specific political groups or people, the navy said in a statement. China utilizes a mixture of cognitive warfare and “gray zone” military activities to pressure Taiwan, the navy said, adding that PLA sea and air forces are compressing the nation’s defensive depth. The navy continues to
MAKING PROGRESS: Officials and industry leaders who participated in a defense forum last month agreed that Taiwan has the capabilities to work with the US, the report said Taiwan’s high-tech defense industry is to enhance collaboration with the US to produce weapons needed for self-defense, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report to the Legislative Yuan. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) discussed building regional and global industry alliances with US partners at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia held from Sept. 22 to Tuesday last week, the ministry said in the declassified portion of the report. The visit contributed to maintaining bilateral ties, facilitated Taiwan’s efforts to acquire weapons and equipment, and strengthened the resilience of the two nation’s defense industries, it said. Taiwan-US ties
CONCERNS: Allowing the government, political parties or the military to own up to 10 percent of a large media firm is a risk Taiwan cannot afford to take, a lawyer said A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator has proposed amendments to allow the government, political parties and the military to indirectly invest in broadcast media, prompting concerns of potential political interference. Under Article 1 of the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法), the government and political parties — as well as foundations established with their endowments, and those commissioned by them — cannot directly or indirectly invest in satellite broadcasting businesses. A similar regulation is in the Cable Radio and Television Act (有線廣播電視法). “The purpose of banning the government, political parties and the military from investing in the media is to prevent them from interfering
RSS