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DPP¡¦s passport
stickers to show Taiwan, not China
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
In response to what it called the government¡¦s inaction over Beijing¡¦s recent
move to include Taiwan as part of its territory in its new passports, the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday issued passport stickers as a
countermeasure to highlight Taiwan¡¦s sovereignty.
¡§We would like to let the international community know that Taiwan is not part
of China,¡¨ DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (¤ý¶{¥Í) said.
China¡¦s new passports, which Beijing began issuing in May, include Taiwan and
the South China Sea as Chinese territory and sparked protests from countries
which have territorial disputes with China, including Taiwan, Vietnam, India and
the Philippines.
The Philippines decided not to stamp new Chinese passports, Vietnam stamps
¡§canceled¡¨ on the passports and India affixes a visa to Chinese passports
stating its own territorial claims.
Taiwan has not implemented any countermeasures, other than the Mainland Affairs
Council issuing a verbal protest, saying that Beijing¡¦s unilateral move would
destabilize the region.
Disappointed at the Ma administration¡¦s passivity and inaction, the DPP has
ordered 10,000 stickers, which come in the same size as Taiwanese passports,
with the slogan ¡§Taiwan is my country¡¨ and a map highlighting Taiwan¡¦s territory
and its geographical position, Wang said.
Taiwanese could stick the stickers on their passports to assert Taiwan¡¦s
sovereignty as a protest against China, Wang said.
The stickers are to be distributed at the DPP¡¦s local offices and the Bureau of
Consular Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang said.
The ministry warned people over the use of the stickers in a press release
issued yesterday evening, saying it would be a violation of current regulations
and could cause trouble for tourists when clearing customs and entering foreign
countries.
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