Hello Taiwan, an international nonprofit organization, yesterday called for support for a proposal to rename Taiwan’s overseas offices as “Taiwan representative offices,” replacing the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Office” format.
The New York-based organization, founded by Taiwanese-
Americans in 2010, promotes Taiwan’s international visibility and fosters cultural and economic ties with democratic partners.
Photo: Fang Wei-li, Taipei Times
Organization chairman Ming Chiang (江明信) cited past initiatives, including lobbying for 2.5 million vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic and collaborating with the New York Mets to distribute Taiwan-themed jerseys at the team’s Taiwan Heritage Day in 2024.
Chiang said he accompanied San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones during her visit to Kaohsiung, where a trilateral memorandum of understanding was signed on Friday last week with sister cities Kaohsiung and Kumamoto, Japan.
He cited the proposed Taiwan Representative Office Act introduced by US Senator John Curtis and remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as evidence of political support in the US.
Rubio, then a senator, last year sponsored legislation to rename the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) as the Taiwan Representative Office.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), who attended the event, said inconsistencies between office signage and official Web sites using “Taiwan” creates confusion.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ use of the abbreviation “TECO” for overseas offices is easily misunderstood, he said.
Citing passport redesigns, Chung said Taiwanese society has shown resilience in embracing the name “Taiwan,” and that overseas offices should follow suit.
Hello Taiwan member Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱) said the current naming system reflects a legacy of authoritarian rule and no longer matches Taiwan’s international engagement.
The terminology often causes confusion in areas such as security and judicial cooperation, increasing the workload of Taiwanese diplomats, she said.
In some countries, law enforcement authorities interpret “Taipei” as referring to a local city rather than a national entity, which can complicate efforts by Taiwanese when seeking assistance abroad, particularly during emergencies, Wu added.
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