The Japanese organizers of the 2008 Miss International Beauty Pageant, to be held in Macau, have given Taiwanese contestant Ting Yen-yu (丁彥妤) two sashes: one bearing the name “Taiwan” and one with the name “Chinese Taipei,” asking that she change ribbons depending on where she is.
Her instructor Chang Ming-chu (張明珠) criticized the suggestion, saying that changing Ting’s sash would confuse the judges and affect the results, and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest the request, which she said belittled Taiwan’s national sovereignty.
PHOTO COURTESEY OF TING YEN-YU
HONG KONG
Each year contestants from Hong Kong and Macau wear sashes with “Hong Kong” and “Macau” printed on them without the word “Chinese,” Chang said, asking why Taiwan, an independent and sovereign country, did not even enjoy the same rights as the two special administrative regions controlled by China.
Chang said the competition, the world’s third-largest beauty pageant after Miss Universe and Miss World, could offer global exposure for contestants and promote a country’s national image and culture.
NOT HELPING
Chang accused President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration of being incompetent.
Although the government says it is improving relations with China and will stop Beijing from meddling with Taiwanese representatives at international competitions, the pressure on Ting indicated that the government’s policies protected Chinese interests while sacrificing national dignity, Chang said.
This can only result in the nation losing its international competitiveness, Chang said.
Taiwan’s representative in the 2006 pageant, Liu Tzu-yuan (劉子瑄) was given three sashes — “China Taipei,” “Taiwan” and “Chinese Taipei.”
She was asked to wear the “Taiwan” sash in Japan, the “Chinese Taipei” sash in Shanghai, where there are lots of Taiwanese businesspeople, and the “China Taipei” sash in Beijing.
Chang said that she did not protest in 2006 because Liu only told her about the different sashes after she returned to Taiwan.
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