The English translation of the new name of Taipei County after it is upgraded in December has sparked controversy, with some residents protesting against the county government’s decision to adopt Hanyu Pinyin and romanizing it as “Xinbei City” (新北市).
Taipei County’s Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Yang Yi-te (楊義德) said the county government used “Xinbei City” as the city’s official English name because “New Taipei City” would be too similar to “Taipei City.”
‘NEW TAIPEI CITY’
PHOTO: HE YU-HUA, TAIPEI TIMES
The city’s Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayoral candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫), however, suggested the city be named “New Taipei City.”
“I prefer the name ‘New Taipei City’ because it is more reflective of the spirit of a new city after its upgrading and meets public expectations,” he said when approached for comments.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Taipei County, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also expressed her support for the name “New Taipei City.”
Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, said that an English translation was for foreign visitors to better understand the name of the city, a task that would be better accomplished by calling it “New Taipei City.”
“If I were a foreigner, I wouldn’t understand what Xinbei City meant,” Tsai said.
“But if it was New Taipei City — the meaning would be very clear, a new area currently under development,” she said.
NO TO ‘XINBEI’
A small group of protesters yesterday challenged the county government’s adoption of Hanyu Pinyin in front of the Taipei County Hall, shouting “we don’t want Xinbei City” in protest against the decision.
“As a resident, I protest against Chou Hsi-wei’s (周錫瑋) decision to change my hometown’s name without seeking the residents’ agreement. We do not want to use Hanyu Pinyin, which China uses,” said Chang Shu-feng (張淑芬), director of Taiwan Pinyin League.
Chang said the county government should either use “Sinbei City” — based on the Tongyong Pinyin system developed by Taiwan — or “New Taipei City” as the city’s English name.
Yang dismissed accusations that the county government chose the Hanyu Pinyin system to pander to China, saying Hanyu Pinyin has been officially adopted by the central government.
Yang said the English name of the upgraded city still requires final approval from the Taipei County Council. The final version will be determined in September.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VINCENT Y. CHAO
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to