Members of a Taiwanese independence group yesterday called on the government to rectify the name of China Airlines, saying that its name frequently causes it to be mistaken for a Chinese airline and leads to inconvenience for Taiwanese.
To curb the spread of a novel coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China, more than 60 countries have imposed a ban on all incoming flights and passengers from China.
Italy on Sunday suspended all flights from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macau until April 28.
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times
China Airlines is one of Taiwan’s largest carriers, and its largest shareholder, the China Aviation Development Foundation, is controlled by the government.
At a protest in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, Taiwan Republic Office director Chilly Chen (陳峻涵) said that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed Italy’s decision to “inaccurate information” from the WHO, the government should take responsibility for the airline’s name, as it would undoubtedly be confused with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by other countries.
“Anything containing the word ‘China’ is China — it is that simple to the world,” he said.
Multiple name rectification campaigns have been launched since 2003 to change the airline’s name, but the company brushed off the requests citing high costs and negative effects on commercial aviation rights, he said.
Chen called on Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who has said that a name change would help the airline differentiate itself, to put his words into action, saying that otherwise Taiwan would be subject to the same treatment as China during times of crisis.
The office would call meetings to discuss the next steps should it see no concrete response or action from the ministry soon, he added.
In related developments, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kelly Hsieh (謝武樵) yesterday met with Italian Representative to Taiwan Davide Giglio over Rome’s flight ban, but no progress had been made as of press time last night.
The ministry continues to communicate with the Italian government through the two countries’ representative offices and is hopeful that the matter can be quickly resolved, Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said, without elaborating.
Additional reporting by Lu Yi-hsuan and CNA
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