U.S. and China Chide Taiwan on Intent To Change Missions’ Sign Inscriptions
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
UNITED NATIONS – Prior to crucial parliamentary elections Saturday, President Chen ruffled some international feathers this week by announcing his intention to change the names on the signs at the entrances to Taiwan’s overseas missions.
The State Department quickly put him on notice, and China, which sees any hint of change of status on the island as an affront, quickly denounced Mr. Chen’s declaration that he intends to inscribe the word “Taiwan” on the doors of his nation’s missions.
If the change goes through, the mission now currently known as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York would be known as Taiwan’s mission.
The one in Washington would be known as Taiwan’s representation office. The changes carry heavy political significance both on and off the island.
“It’s a political move,” China’s United Nations ambassador, Wang Guangya, told The New York Sun. “They are, step by step, trying to seek their political objective of becoming independent. This is certainly not acceptable.”
At the State Department, spokesman Adam Ereli said, “Frankly, we’re not supportive of them. As you know, the United States has an interest in maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait…These changes of terminology for government-controlled enterprises or economic and cultural offices abroad, in our view, would ap pear to unilaterally change Taiwan’s status.” For a long time, but more so under Mr. Chen, Taiwan has campaigned to become a member in international organizations, including the U.N., where it has met stern opposition from veto-yielding Beijing, which, like Washington, sees the island as part of “one China.”
A spokesman for the Taiwanese legislative body, the Yuan, Chen Chimai, was quoted by the Taiwanese press as saying that the name change would not mean a change of status and that Mr. Chen does not intend to back away from his promise not to alter the country’s political status-quo during his term in office.
In this Saturday’s legislative elections, Mr. Chen hopes to gain a majority in the 225-seat Yuan for his ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Joseph Wu, a close ally of the president, was quoted on the BBC Web site recently as saying that a DPP victory would force mainland China to deal with Mr. Chen, who is seen in Beijing as someone who is bent on declaring independence.
Supporters of Mr. Chen’s main rival, Lien Chan of the opposition Kuomintang believe, however, that if the president wins a parliamentary majority, China’s position toward the island would become increasingly more militant.
At stake, on top of all that, is an arms deal with Washington, estimated at $18 billion. This is one reason Mr. Chen immediately announced that he would send a mission to Washington to explain his position and presumably to smooth the relations with the Bush administration.