MAC: "Rectification of names" respects history, the status quo, and the will of the Taiwanese people
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) emphasized today (February 14, 2007) that on the matter of the "rectification of names," this action is aimed at respecting history, the status quo, and the will of the Taiwanese people. It is also a necessary stage for the democratic transformation in Taiwan as well as for the strengthening of Taiwan-centric consciousness and the consolidation of Taiwan's national identity. For a long time the Chinese authorities have deliberately ignored the status quo in which China and Taiwan have no jurisdiction over each other. They have concocted the rigid thinking of "one China" to groundlessly attack Taiwan's every action. This amply reveals that the Chinese authorities' narrow-minded and biased thinking makes them unable to understand democratic values and unwilling to face historical realities and the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan. This type of dereistic behavior is entirely unhelpful to the improvement of cross-strait relations.
The MAC indicated that some national corporations and agencies in Taiwan at present use the word "China" or "Chinese" in their names. This has created confusion in Taiwan, not to mention the misunderstanding that has been caused in the international community. The government has promoted the pragmatic adjustment of the names used by these units with a view to truly "reflecting in name the reality" of the status quo, as well as presenting a true face that accords with historical views and world trends by adopting a more pragmatic, diverse and open position. Moreover, the pragmatic adjustment of the names used by Taiwanese national corporations and agencies is an internal affair of Taiwan, and the Taiwanese people have the right to discuss this issue. The government has also handled this issue in an absolutely legitimate and rational manner. It will not tolerate interference by the Chinese authorities.
The MAC stated that the pragmatic adjustment of names has the additional objective of enabling the international community to more easily distinguish the differences between "Taiwan" and the "People's Republic of China" (PRC). This is because currently at many international venues the "Republic of China" (ROC) and "People's Republic of China" are commonly confused with each other. For example, at the opening ceremony for a Chinese-financed cricket field in Grenada on February 3, 2007, the national anthem of the ROC was mistakenly played in the presence of the PRC envoy. At the meeting between U.S. President George Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2006, the U.S. emcee mistakenly referred to the PRC as the ROC. In 2001, the British Navy raised the ROC flag when welcoming the PRC's East China Seas Fleet. In September 2006, a Brazilian major newspaper mistakenly used the PRC flag when referring to Taiwan in reports on the World Economic Forum's global competitiveness ranking. In view of this, Taiwan has a true need to make appropriate adjustments, such as making additional notification of the name "Taiwan," so that people around the world can distinguish the difference between "democratic Taiwan" and "authoritarian China."
The MAC indicated that the Taiwanese government will continue to follow its consistent policy that, so long as China has no intention to use force against Taiwan, Taiwan will not change its national moniker or national flag. This is not only a promise that the Taiwanese government made to the international community after the year 2000, but also a policy position that will be maintained unchanged.