A town in Canada has decided to reinstate a Taiwan flag at a bus stop that it took down last year due to complaints from China.
With a population of about 7,000 people, Hope is a small, but well-known town in British Columbia, about 150km east of Vancouver.
The town is known for its peaceful and friendly atmosphere, but unexpectedly became a battleground in the diplomatic struggle between Taiwan and China.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver
The local government built a new bus station next to Memorial Park 16 years ago and erected two flagpoles beside it, decorating each with 20 metal flags.
All of Canada’s provincial flags were hung, as well as national flags from many countries around the world, including China and Taiwan.
These flags hung peacefully for more than a decade, until July last year, when Hope Mayor Victor Smith received a letter from China’s consulate in Vancouver.
The letter said that hanging the Taiwan flag contravenes Canada’s “one China” policy and demanded it be taken down.
Smith responded the next day saying he had made a mistake and promising to remove the flag.
This summer, some Taiwanese living abroad noticed the flag was gone and posted about it online, calling for people to write to the Hope government.
Last month, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver Director-General Liu Lih-hsin (劉立欣) wrote a letter to Smith stating that removing the flag hinders the close relationship between Taiwan and Canada.
The Hope Town Council discussed the issue on Monday and agreed that the Taiwan flag should be reinstated.
The flag symbolizes a commitment to democratic values, civil connections and self-expression, and does not reflect a formal diplomatic relationship or contravene Canada’s official policies, the council said.
Liu thanked the council for making a fair decision, as well as overseas Taiwanese for voicing their concerns to the local government.
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