In a bid to make a distinction between Taiwan and China, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday pledged to rectify the names of all relevant government agencies to "Taiwan" in two years.
"All relevant agencies in international settings that are easily confused with those of China should gradually rectify their names [to Taiwan,]" Chen said at a news conference held at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
"We will strive to rectify the names of our overseas missions," he added.
Currently, the name Taipei Economic and Culture Office(TECO) is commonly used for the nation's governmental institutions overseas. Taiwan's de facto embassy in the US is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO).
"We will start this policy first with government agencies and state-owned corporations and have them accomplish the task within two years' time," he added, referring to state-owned companies such as China Shipbuilding Corp (中船), Chinese Petroleum Corp (中油) and China Steel Corp (中鋼).
Chen said that the country should also participate in international organizations with the name "Taiwan" to avoid unnecessary confusion that often takes place in international settings.
"Domestically, we should do away with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-like phenomena of no differentiation between party and state," Chen said.
"Internationally, we should actively make the differentiation between Taiwan and China to avoid unnecessary confusion."
Reiterating that the "Republic of China is Taiwan" and that it is an independent, sovereign country, Chen said that according to the existing Constitution, the ROC is the country's official title and is the "biggest common denominator" of the Taiwan public's identification to national identity.
Saying that he is the defender of Taiwan's identity, Chen said that to highlight Taiwan's identity is not tantamount to changing the country's official national title.
"Until a majority consensus with the public is reached and formed, to hastily push for a change to the country's name would only divide people's power and affect the country's unity," Chen said.
At the news conference, Chen stressed the three historic missions he has taken up.
"First, to push for democratic reform and economic development," Chen said. "Second, to accomplish constitutional reform, to assemble the Constitutional Reform Committee after the [Dec.11 legislative] elections."
"And third, in order to strive for permanent cross-strait peace, after the legislative elections [I will] invite leaders from all sectors to join the Committee for Cross-strait Peace and Development (兩岸和平發展委員會), to push for a reopening of cross-strait negotiations so that the two sides can engage in a dialogue for peace," the president said.
While reiterating his determination to push for constitutional reform, to hold a referendum on a new constitution in 2006 and to have the new constitution implemented in 2008, Chen asked people not to dwell on whether it is "amending the Constitution" or "rewriting the Constitution."
"What matters is not the words `to amend' or `to rewrite,' but the point is to focus on its substantial changes and the historic participation of the people in constitutional reform," Chen said.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS