Dragged into a controversy over the identity of the Republic of China’s (ROC) capital, Minister of the Interior Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) yesterday said that Taipei is the nation’s capital because it is the seat of the central government.
Lee was asked about the issue at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee after a Ministry of Education document sent to schools on Monday identified Nanjing, China, as the capital of the ROC. The document “reminded” elementary and high school administrators that the capital is Nanjing, in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Responding to a question by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Lee said the ROC Constitution does not specify the location of the capital. The capital is where the central government is located, he said.
“Since Taipei is the seat of our central government, it is our nation’s capital,” he said.
Nanjing was established as the ROC capital in 1927. In 1937, the KMT government moved from Nanjing to Chongqing because of the Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Nanjing became the capital again in 1946. The KMT government relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War.
Lee said the government issued a decree in 1949 proclaiming Taipei the new seat of government.
K-12 Education Administration Division head Chiu Chien-kuo (邱乾國) apologized for the error on Tuesday, saying the ministry should have explained its stance more clearly.
Chiu said the document was meant to be a reminder to schools about the maps they buy.
It said Taipei should be marked as the capital of the ROC with an explanation saying the city is the seat of the central government, because according to the Constitution, Nanjing is the ROC’s capital.
“Previously, some teaching material suppliers used the same color to identify Taiwan and China on their maps or globes. We issued the document to ask school administrators to remind their textbook suppliers not to repeat the mistake,” Chiu said.
Chiu said he was willing to take responsibility for the error.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS