Taiwan expert June Teufel Dreyer reported a couple of weeks ago that when she contacted American Airlines for a flight here she was informed that the new name of Taiwan was "Chinese Taipei" and that it was part of China, so she would need a visa. This appeared to be an isolated incident, until this was reported in Taiwan News (via Pacific Magazine)...A protest by Taipei led Australia to quickly change the name for Taiwan on an official government Web site, Taiwan News Online reports.Once is luck, twice is coincidence....is there a third time?
According to the report, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 7 found that the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Web site listed Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei," a name the island only uses for the Olympics. The ministry immediately asked Australian officials, in Canberra and Taipei, to change the country's name to Taiwan.
The name was changed at the Australian Web site to "Taiwan" the next day, Taiwan News Online reports.
Taiwan uses its official name, Republic of China, when dealing with its 23 diplomatic allies. The name "Chinese Taipei" is reserved for the Olympics and for international sports events because of a past agreement, but Taiwan does not approve of the name for other uses, the report said.
[Taiwan]
Odd...as I recall the previous article mentioned that the airline informed them they were working on "guidelines" given OFFICIALLY from the Taiwanese government.
ReplyDeleteIf that is true, then our government has been quite conflicting...
Blueprint for Chinese investment in Taiwan due in Sept
ReplyDeletehttp://english.rti.org.tw/Content/GetSingleNews.aspx?ContentID=63492
If third time = "The View from Chinese-Taipei", then we know the game is over.
ReplyDeleteAdd this unrelated Asia casino link for you (since you mentioned you are following this sector) Casino shares drop on talk of Macau visa cutbacks This could happen in Taiwan in the future. (PRC controlling access to TWN casinos). ~ sorry/off topic.
I doubt it - let's just call it the Olympics effect. I bet right now loads of Taiwan articles on Wikipedia are being switched to 'Chinese Taipei' because "That's what they're called init? I dun seen it on that Olympics I did".
ReplyDeleteso what happens when you want to fly to kaohsiung or some other taiwanese city? are they going to call them 'chinese kaohsiung' or 'chinese taichung' too?
ReplyDeletei'm so sick of china's bullying and stupid little tactics. they themselves call taiwan 'taiwan' and not some other dopey name, so just use that name, goddammit.
Everybody knows Taiwan's official name is:
ReplyDeleteThe Special Customs Territory of Taiwan, Peng hu, Kinmen and Matsu ...or Arnold Dorsey.
Actually the name game resonates all the way up through the highest offices of government.
ReplyDeleteIn Gary D. Rawnsley's book: Taiwan's Informal Diplomacy and Propaganda, the author documents how the term "mainland" was intentionally deployed in government materials (GIO) to create a sense of a greater China that was not present before. James Soong was a major force behind it.
One thing I have found interesting watching the Olympics on local TV in Taiwan is the way announcers have been shortening Zhonghua-Taipei to Zhonghua rather than to Taipei, even though the abbreviation is TPE. They could have easily shortened it to the Taipei team. So, you have the Zhonghua team playing the Zhongguo team.
ReplyDeleteThere was a very interesting podcast from public radion about the olympics. I guess in the 1960's Taiwan protested severely at having to enter the games under the title "Taiwan or Formosa" and not "China" or "The Republic of China". Finally they were forced to accept "Taiwan" and marched in the opening ceremony with a banner reading "Under Protest".
ReplyDeleteTwisted isn't it.
There was a very interesting podcast from public radion about the olympics. I guess in the 1960's Taiwan protested severely at having to enter the games under the title "Taiwan or Formosa" and not "China" or "The Republic of China"--
ReplyDeleteYou mean those chinese illigals who ocupied Taiwan in that time?
Taipei is a city on an island by the name of Taiwan as everyone in the world probably knows by now.
ReplyDeletePoliticians seem to like to confuse basic facts.
I can assure you that even the boys on the mainland do not call Taiwan by that ridiculous political acronym they foist upon anyone willing to accept it.
Yeah it's pretty whack how it looks, but as stated, during that time CKS was in control and was still trying to take back China. Taiwan was not Taiwan, Taiwan was a staging ground for CKS and his KMT to take back the mainland, and that the "legitimate" Governement of China, was actually residing on Taiwan at the time.
ReplyDeleteThat's why it's so irritating to see article after article mention how Taiwan and China split among a civil war. No, it was actually China and the KMT that "split," whereby the KMT came to Taiwan to setup their launching pad for an eventual invasion of the mainland that never happened.
Politicians seem to like to confuse basic facts.
ReplyDeleteLOl.. Like it are more british and american journalists following chinese xihua wich put that "chinese ocupated Taipei" everywhere..