Taiwan Post Co will issue the first set of stamps marked "Taiwan" on Feb. 28, featuring the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum as the theme, officials said yesterday, but the move may be short-lived, as the opposition has pledged to reverse the policy.
The stamps will be the first to carry the Chinese characters for "Taiwan stamp" after the company formally changed its name from "Chunghwa Post Co" (
However, other stamps already prepared with the words "Republic of China" will continue to be printed in the first quarter of this year, the officials said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications ordered Taiwan Post to prepare the set of Taiwan stamps last year in time for a Feb. 28 release, they said, adding that "Republic of China" stamps would stop being issued in April at the earliest.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday warned that his party would act to restore the words "Republic of China" to stamps if the party wins next year's presidential election.
"Stamps represent the nation. You can't change the name on a stamp unless the nation's name -- as stipulated in the Constitution -- is changed," Ma said at a press conference.
"It's not because we feel repulsion at the name `Taiwan,' but because `Taiwan' can't be used to replace `Republic of China,'" he said.
Ma labeled the government's move to drop "Republic of China" from stamps as a "subject for amusement" among the international community.
Ma said that the KMT did not oppose the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government when it added the word "Taiwan" to passports and to agreements it has signed with its allies.
He said that the inclusion of "Taiwan" in the two sets of circumstances was acceptable because they were done for the purpose of eliminating confusion.
However, he said, the change on stamps "would only cause more confusion" over the nation's name.
"American stamps bear the name of the United States, and British stamps bear the name of the United Kingdom, Ma said at the press conferenc.
Our stamps should bear the name `Republic of China,'" he said.
Earlier yesterday, Ma also said there was no need for the nation to change its name.
"It's now the 96th year of the Republic. Of course there's no need to change the name of `Republic of China' nor the name of Chunghwa Post Co," he said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
RSS