In a bid to avoid the confusion between "Republic of China" and "People's Republic of China," the Presidential Office decided to add the word "Taiwan" next to "Republic of China" on its Web site yesterday.
With that word, the country's formal title now reads as the "Republic of China (Taiwan)" rather than "Republic of China" in the English vision. Traditional and simplified Chinese characters are also included on the Web site also have the word "Taiwan."
Suggestions
"We received suggestions from our international friends stating that the name of `Republic of China' is often mistaken for the `People's Republic of China,'" Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗), Presidential Office spokesperson said yesterday. "In order to avoid the unnecessary confusion and inconvenience, we decided to add the word `Taiwan.'"
Although the map of Taiwan shown in the top-left corner indicates that the Web site is indeed about Taiwan, it is not conspicuous, Chen said.
Chen also said the Presidential Office received many letters from overseas which spoke of Chinese leaders such as former Chinese president Jiang Zemin (
Confusion
"These mistaken letters not only cause trouble for the Presidential Office but also bring inconvenience to the senders, as the office is unable to forward these letters to the Chinese government," Chen said.
China is usually referred to as the "People's Republic of China" in English. In order to reduce the confusion caused by the similarity of the two country's official names, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) announced in January 2002 that "Taiwan" would be added to the cover of all new Taiwanese passports.
The passport policy raised suspicions from opposition parties about a lurch toward independence.
The revised passports began to be issued in September 2003.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS