Twenty-two international airlines have corrected the way they refer to Taiwan on their booking Web sites, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said in response to a written inquiry by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉).
Beijing in 2018 began requiring airlines that fly to Chinese airports to refer to Taiwan in their booking systems as “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan Area.” Although there are still 39 airlines that refer to Taiwan in one of these two ways, 22 companies have corrected their systems to refer to the nation as “Taiwan,” Chiu said on Saturday, citing the ministry.
However, it would not reveal the carriers’ names out of concern that China might again pressure them into reversing course, the ministry said.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
In January 2018, China demanded that US hotel chain Marriott International Inc change its Web site and mobile app, which at the time listed Taiwan as a country, the ministry said, adding that a number of other companies also came under pressure afterward.
In April 2018, Beijing started to demand that international airlines add the word “China” after any reference to Taiwan in their systems, giving them 30 days to make the changes, which was later extended to July 25, the ministry said.
China threatened the airlines, saying that it would employ legal measures to “punish” them if they did not comply and would seek “administrative penalties” against them, it said.
Many major carriers, including Air Canada, British Airways PLC, Air France and Lufthansa AG, complied with China’s demands, but some maintained a flexible approach rather than outright compliance, it added.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China in July 2018 said in a press release that 44 international airlines had fully complied with Beijing’s demands on how they referred to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, but that there were still four US airlines that had not implemented sufficient changes.
It would review the situation and decide whether to enact “civil aviation administrative procedures,” the agency said at the time.
There is an opportunity now to approach airlines about rectifying how they refer to Taiwan, as the worldwide aviation industry suffers from the COVID-19 pandemic and Taiwan has been successful in keeping the disease at bay, Chiu said.
Increasing praise and support for Taiwan, alongside growing antipathy toward China, have been evident in the US’ and European countries’ support for Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, he said.
The ministry should seek to take advantage of the current situation to counter Chinese pressure on Taiwan on the international stage, he said.
Taiwan’s flag carrier, China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), should take the lead on the issue by removing the word “China” from its name, he said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from