The government yesterday reacted favorably to the “goodwill” shown by China a day earlier over the controversy surrounding the nation’s designation at next month’s Beijing Olympics.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said the government had noted the goodwill after one of Beijing’s official news agencies — China News Service — used Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北), rather than Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北) to refer to “Chinese Taipei,” the official title used by Taiwan at the Olympics, in its Chinese-language Web site reports on Thursday.
Wang described the China News Service report as a favorable response after the Presidential Office made a statement a day earlier calling for Beijing to show goodwill to Taiwan when handling Olympic issues.
PHOTO: CNA
Controversy surrounding the nation’s designation at the Beijing Games has loomed large over the past week since two Chinese media outlets — China Central Television and Xinhua news agency — referred to the Taiwan team as Zhongguo Taibei, a reference considered by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the opposition Democratic Progressive Party as a way to downgrade Taiwan’s status.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) also expressed his appreciation for Beijing’s gesture yesterday and stressed his determination to fight for the nation’s best interests whenever necessary.
“China’s willingness to show its goodwill is positive for long-term cross-strait relations,” Ma said while receiving a group of artists at the Presidential Office.
Although China only promised to refer to Taiwan’s Olympic team as Zhonghua Taibei within the Olympic arena, Ma said it would make Taiwanese people “feel very uncomfortable” if Taiwan’s Olympic team was referred to as Zhongguo Taibei in Beijing next month.
“If both sides can put themselves in each other’s positions, I believe we will see positive cross-strait relations,” he said.
Ma said the government had been taking cautious steps on the issue and stressed that his administration would continue to fight for the nation’s interests.
“I will insist on a Taiwan-centric stance,” he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Spokesman Lee Chien-jung (李建榮) echoed the president’s sentiments.
Lee said KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) had expressed the party’s insistence on the nation’s Olympics team’s title being referred to as Zhonghua Taibei to Beijing via the KMT-Chinese Communist Party communication platform and that the party believed that China’s move was a positive response to that request.
“Chairman Wu believed that there was no need to get emotional about the issue. Expressions of goodwill will help improve cross-strait relations,” Lee said.
Wu is scheduled to travel to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony on Aug. 8 and the Taiwanese baseball team’s first match against the Netherlands on Aug. 13.
The KMT had previously vowed to boycott the Games if the Chinese authorities insisted on referring to the Taiwanese team as Zhongguo Taibei.
MAC Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said she was happy to see things go in a better direction, but added that the government would continue to monitor developments.
“It was good that we got a result and we hope that both sides can continue to be kind to each other and reach a consensus on other matters,” Lai said.
Minister of Sports Affairs Council (SAC) Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡), who said on Thursday that the country’s delegation would drop out of the Games if Beijing referred to it as Zhongguo Taibei, said yesterday that she was much happier.
“In light of the current situation, there shouldn’t be any instances of Taiwan being called Zhongguo Taibei in Beijing.” Tai said.
Tai said that the council did not expect any “surprises” during the Games as the Chinese side had complied with the 1989 Hong Kong agreement at Olympic Games and Asian Games in the past.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) had instructed the National Security Council, the MAC, the SAC, the Government Information Office and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to form a task force to plan for any possible emergency situations regarding the name controversy.
“The task force came up with several response plans. For example, if the organizer refers to the Taiwanese team as Zhongguo Taibei we will lodge a protest immediately and demand the International Olympic Committee handle our complaint,” Tai said.
She said the response plan still includes the possibility of withdrawing from the Games.
KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) said the nation must stand its ground on the issue during the Games.
“This seems trivial, but it could turn out to be a major problem ... we cannot soften our stance [on the issue],” he said.
He suggested that the nation closely watch whether China would attempt to refer to the Taiwanese delegation as Zhongguo Taibei during the opening ceremony, adding that the delegation should withdraw from the Games if necessary.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
‘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