A group of UK legislators urged a UK-based English-language proficiency test company to correct the designation of Taiwan on its Web site, which implies that the nation is part of China.
In a joint letter issued on Jan. 28 and addressed to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Nigel Evans and Dennis Rogan, the cochairs of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, together with 44 legislators, called on the British Council, the chief manager of the test and its global partners to change the designation of Taiwan on its Web site from “Taiwan, China” to “Taiwan.”
Calling it a surprise to learn that IELTS had made the decision to change the designation from “Taiwan” to “Taiwan, China” in October last year, the letter said the changed designation is “inaccurate and misleading,” as Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Photo: Wikipedia
The legislators said that the wrongful designation is contrary to the UK’s longstanding policy of referring to Taiwan as simply “Taiwan,” quoting a July 10 statement by British Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Mark Field.
“The change has resulted in great confusion and protest among Taiwanese people and the IELTS community. Many Taiwanese students and professionals who take the IELTS feel their rights and nationality are being sacrificed,” the letter said, adding that IELTS has offered no public explanation for its decision.
The legislators concluded that the decision was made due to pressure from Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of the PRC’s territory.
IELTS apparently made the decision based on commercial interests, the letter said, urging the company not to bow to Chinese pressure.
“Although IELTS is a private enterprise, it should not have the terms of its business dictated by a foreign government. Succumbing to this political pressure undermines our democratic principles and harms the free operations of international business,” it said.
The letter further noted that UK-Taiwan educational exchanges have significantly increased over the years, with about 12,000 Taiwanese studying in the UK as of 2017.
“For many Taiwanese students and professionals, taking the IELTS is an essential stepping stone to study and work in the UK. If IELTS were to change the designation to ‘Taiwan,’ it may well allow the UK to continue increasing its educational exchanges with Taiwan,” it said.
The letter concluded by reiterating its call for IELTS to reconsider its decision and amend Taiwan’s designation on the IELTS Web site as soon as possible.
Established in 1989, IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world, frequently taken by Taiwanese students before applying to study at academic institutions in Australia, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move by IELTS last year, criticizing Beijing for again “blatantly interfering with private-sector commercial activities and international business operations with political means.”
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. TSMC is to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fab in Kumamoto, company chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. That is an upgrade from an original blueprint to produce 7-nanometer chips by late next year, people familiar with the matter said. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Japan’s Kumamoto in late 2024. Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally focused on
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
The partisan standoff over President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed defense budget has raised questions about the nation’s ability to adequately fund its own defense, the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report released on Tuesday. The report, titled Taiwan: Defense and Military Issues, said the government has increased its defense budget at an average annual rate of 5 percent from 2019 to 2023, with about 2.5 percent of its GDP spent on defense in 2024. Lai in November last year proposed a special budget of about US$40 billion over eight years, and said he intends to increase defense spending to
RSS