A map published by a Taiwanese company has been criticized for “abasing Taiwan’s sovereignty” by naming it a province of China and listing all five of Taiwan’s special municipalities as direct-controlled municipalities of China.
Hsu Hui-feng (許惠峰), a professor of law at Chinese Culture University, said a student surnamed Hsieh (謝) exhibited the map in question. Hsu said he could not understand how any map published by Taiwanese could so abase their own nation.
The source of the problem stems from the education system, and there is a crisis in how Taiwanese identify their own nation, Hsu said.
Publishers are responsible for disseminating knowledge and educating society, Hsu said, adding that if the map had been published in simplified Chinese and sold only to Chinese tourists, then it might be understandable.
However, the map is printed in traditional Chinese and the possibility of it being sold to Chinese tourists or visitors is extremely low, Hsu said, adding that it was a shame that companies would abase the sovereignty of their own nation for money.
In response, Huang Ssu-wen (黃思文), editor-in-chief of the publisher, Da Yu Publishing Co, said that the map had not abased Taiwan’s sovereignty because there were different color codes and national boundaries that separated China and Taiwan.
The map used different colors for the various provinces of China and it was not intended to abase Taiwan’s status as a sovereign nation, Huang added.
According to Department of Land Administration Deputy Director Wang Ching-hsiu (王靚琇), maps do not need to be sent to the ministry for review before publication, saying that was part of the liberalization of the publishing industry.
Publication of maps used to be regulated by the Map Review Statute (水陸地圖審查條例) and needed to be reviewed by the government, but since the abolition of the law in 2004, privately published maps of the nation no longer need to be submitted for review, Wang said.
Additional reporting by Chao Ching-yu and Chiu Yen-ling
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
Starting next month, people who signed up for the TPass 2.0 program can receive a 15 percent rebate for trips on mid to long-distance freeway buses or on buses headed to the east coast twice every month, the Highway Bureau said. Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said the government started TPass 2.0 to offer rebates to frequent riders of public transportation, or people who use city buses, highway buses, trains or MRTs at least 11 times per month. As of Nov. 12, 265,000 people have registered for TPass 2.0, and about 16.56 million trips between February and September qualified for
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
The year 2027 is regarded as the year China would likely gain the capability to invade Taiwan, not the year it would launch an invasion, Taiwanese defense experts said yesterday. The experts made the remarks after President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference on Wednesday that his administration would introduce a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget bill to boost Taiwan’s overall defense posture over the next eight years. Lai said that Beijing aims for military unification of Taiwan by 2027. The Presidential Office later clarified that what Lai meant was that China’s goal is to “prepare for military unification
RSS