The organizers of next year’s Shanghai World Expo made changes to the Chinese version of their Web site yesterday after the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) pointed out that it should not include Taiwan as part of China’s territory in its online literature.
MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said it was improper for the organizer to refer to Taiwan as part of China on its official Web site, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taipei City Government would lodge a protest.
Tsai Wen-kai (蔡文凱), the Taipei World Trade Center’s supervisor stationed in Shanghai, said yesterday that he would issue a protest with the organizers requesting that they correct the mistake in accordance with what was stipulated in the contract.
PHOTO: CNA
Tsai said that the Taiwan Pavilion is not part of the China Pavilion but one street away from it and in another zone.
Before the changes, the official Web site of the Expo 2010 Shanghai China said that the China Pavilion consists of three parts: a 47,000m³ Chinese national pavilion, a 38,000m³ Regional joint pavilion and a 3,300m³ Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan pavilion.
At press time, the Chinese version of the Web site no longer placed Taiwan under the China Pavilion, the Central News Agency said. However, the English version continued to do so.
The Web site also says there will be 55 projects on display in the Urban Best Practices Area.
Among the 55-plus projects, it says, six are from Chinese cities, while “other Chinese proposals come from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.”
In May, the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination sent an official invitation to the Taipei World Trade Center organization for a Taiwan Pavilion at the expo.
He said that the organizer “absolutely cannot” promote Taiwan as it does now.
The Shanghai Expo will be held from May 1 through Oct. 31.
SEF-ARATS
Meanwhile, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) left for Fuzhou yesterday for a preparatory meeting ahead of the upcoming cross-strait talks.
The delegation will arrange the details of SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung’s (江丙坤) meeting with his counterpart, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), including the date, location and schedule. The two are scheduled to meet in Taichung later this month.
The two sides will address four issues: fishing industry cooperation, quality checks of agricultural products, cross-strait cooperation in standard inspection and certification and the prevention of double taxation.
Although the two sides will not negotiate an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) during the meeting, they will “exchange opinions” on whether to place it on the agenda for the next round of talks scheduled to be held in the first half of next year.
The government has expressed the hope to sign the proposed pact next year.
FLAG RULES
While some have raised concerns that the national flag might not be allowed inside the restricted area surrounding the meeting venue, MAC Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said yesterday that they welcomed people to show their love for the national flag, regardless of their political affiliation or form of expression, including wearing outfits featuring the national flag.
“The national flag will be flying wherever it is supposed to be,” she said.
MISSILES
During her last meeting with Chen in Taipei last year, Lai mentioned the missiles China targets at Taiwan.
Although Liu yesterday declined to say whether Lai would broach the matter again when she meets Chen later this month, he emphasized that the MAC never changed its position on the matter.
“China must handle the missile problem before both sides can sit down and talk about political issues,” he said.
WORKERS
On an ECFA, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Lai have said that the administration would not allow more Chinese agricultural products and Chinese workers to enter the local markets.
However, as Taiwan and China are both WTO members, Taiwan must open the market for Chinese agricultural products and workers or face WTO sanctions.
Liu said that an ECFA would be negotiated under the “spirit” of the WTO rather than the “letter” of WTO regulations, adding that the administration was determined to keep its promise.
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