The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday accused Chinese media of downgrading Taiwan’s status by referring to the Taiwan Olympic team as Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北) — which they said means “Taipei, China” and implies that Taiwan is part of China.
DPP Cultural and Publicity Department Director Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) told a press conference that Chinese Central Television (CCTV) and Xinhua news agency had referred to Taiwan’s athletic team as Zhongguo Taibei when reporting that it had selected its representative team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Under a protocol signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Taiwan’s Olympic team should be called “Chinese Taipei” or Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北), rather than Zhongguo Taibei or “Taipei, China,” Cheng said, adding that the Chinese media were up to their old tricks and ratcheting up the pressure on Taiwan in the run-up to the Olympics.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUN, TAIPEI TIMES
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) called for the KMT administration to lodge a serious protest with the Beijing authorities through proper channels to prevent a downgrading of Taiwan’s status during the Olympics.
Yang Yi (楊毅), spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said last week that “Chinese Taipei” could be translated as both Zhongguo Taibei as well as the originally agreed-upon Zhonghua Taibei.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan will never accept translating the name of its sports teams as Zhongguo Taibei.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday offered its response to Beijing’s attempt to change the Chinese-language version of Taiwan’s official Olympic title.
Deputy MAC Chairman Liu Teh-hsun (劉德勳) said the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has made clear its stance that the official title of Chinese Taipei should be Zhonghua Taibei, and not Zhongguo Taibei in Chinese as stipulated in a 1981 agreement.
The agreement specified that Taiwan would be referred to as Zhonghua Taibei in Chinese characters in any of the Games publications or public information, including brochures, invitation letters, athletic badges and media broadcasts.
The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee also reached a similar consensus in 1989, Liu said.
“It is important that both sides respect the consensus, regardless of where the games are held,” Liu said. “The host country should also abide by the regulations set by the International Olympic Committee and request all media reports about the Chinese Taipei Olympic team correspond to such a spirit.”
When asked whether the council would lodge a protest, Liu reiterated that both sides should “understand” and “respect” the consensus and “abide by the Olympic regulations and spirit.”
He emphasized that the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee would continue to “fully express its stern position based on the spirit.” The council will also “continue to observe the situation” and he hoped the host country will “act in line with the Olympic spirit.”
The government has set up an emergency response mechanism to handle any situation in case China makes a fuss of the issue, Liu said yesterday. However, he offered few details of the inter-ministerial body, arguing that he was not a member.
As for its composition, Liu said it included those government agencies “whose businesses are related to the Games.”
Despite the name change by the Chinese media, the government has decided to allow Chinese correspondents to be stationed in Taiwan. Liu declined to comment on whether the government’s move signified clemency toward the Chinese media’s reports and refused to predict whether they would produce fairer reports in the future.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
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