The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its concern to the London School of Economics (LSE) after the school decided to change the design of a campus sculpture to depict Taiwan as part of China.
The ministry has asked its representative office in the UK to demand that the school reconsider the decision, which belittles Taiwan’s sovereign status, spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
Lee’s comments came in response to a decision by the LSE to change the painting of a sculpture to show that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Photo: CNA
On Tuesday last week, the LSE unveiled the new sculpture by the Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger outside its Saw Swee Hock Student Centre.
The World Turned Upside Down is a large political globe, 4m in diameter, with nation states and borders outlined, but with “the revolutionary twist of being inverted,” according to the LSE Web site.
Most of the landmasses now lie in the “bottom” hemisphere, with nations and cities labeled for this new orientation, it says.
Photo: CNA
However, after the sculpture’s unveiling, Chinese students at LSE noticed that Taiwan was in a different color to China and they protested.
“We are deeply disappointed by this arrangement, and we firmly hold the position that Taiwan is a part of China and the PRC should be the only legal representative of China,” a statement released by Chinese LSE students said.
They called on the school to take action “to prevent any future confusion resulting from the sculpture.”
Taiwanese students at LSE issued their own statement, calling on the school to keep the original design with the Republic of China (ROC) as a separate sovereign state.
“As a sovereign state, the ROC [Taiwan] has its own democratic political institution, and respects the separation of powers and rule of law. We have our own ministries of diplomacy, national defense and interior affairs, with which PRC has no interference,” a letter from the Taiwanese students to the school said.
“Altering the content of the original sculpture not only disrespects the artist, but also denies the fact that the ROC is a sovereign state and further influences the understanding of Taiwan in the LSE community,” it added.
Following a meeting on Wednesday between Taiwanese students and their Chinese counterparts organized by the school, the LSE decided to accept the latter’s proposal to change the globe’s original design by making Taiwan the same color as the PRC.
The school pointed out that all maps released by the UN show Taiwan as a part of the PRC, making it difficult for the Taiwanese students to convince the school to keep the original design, Taiwanese LSE student Huang Li-an (黃立安) said.
The LSE put up a sign beside the sculpture saying that it understood and respected “that strong feelings exist around statehood and identity,” but called on students to engage in respectful exchanges on such issues.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS