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EDITORIAL: Upholding
the nation¡¦s name
Taiwanese residing overseas are yet again being mislabeled as citizens of the
People¡¦s Republic of China, with reports emerging this week that their
nationality on residency certificates issued by immigration authorities in
Norway and South Korea were designated as ¡§Kina [China]-Taiwan¡¨ and ¡§China
(Taiwan)¡¨ respectively.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they have taken up the issue
with the Norwegian and South Korean governments, but that both have refused to
correct the mistakes, citing an adherence to the ¡§one China¡¨ policy.
While such news no doubt infuriates many Taiwanese, there is perhaps a silver
lining amid the frustration: Rather than growing numb to the blatant
incorrectness, as some have long feared, Taiwanese are taking a stand and making
their cases heard.
The case in Norway came to light after a Taiwanese student penned a letter to
the op-ed page of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the
Taipei Times) voicing his ¡§heartache¡¨ over his failed attempts requesting the
Oslo government to correct the nationality on his residency card. As for South
Korea, the Chinese-language Apple Daily ran a report after receiving multiple
complaints from netizens over the wrong designation on their residency
certificates.
Taiwan is a sovereign nation, with its own government, currency and territory.
It elects its own government and negotiates its own treaties. It does not claim
to represent China, although China has always sought ¡X incorrectly ¡X to claim
Taiwan as part of its territory through incessant international campaigns.
While Taiwan has no control over how other countries choose to kowtow to
Beijing, it is encouraging to see Taiwanese refusing to take such absurd notions
lying down.
Self-respect gains respect. If Taiwanese do not raise their voices and demand a
correction of the misunderstanding regarding their nationality, how can they
expect countries, international organizations and the like to be aware that they
have committed a mistake?
And even if a majority of the international community do not have the guts to
stand up to China¡¦s bullying, it does not mean that Taiwanese should act in the
same spineless manner and quietly accept this continuing injustice without
uttering a protest.
Silence is certainly not golden in the case of Taiwan¡¦s plight.
While the people of Taiwan deserve applause for raising their voices on their
own initiative and striving for due respect, Taiwanese officials¡¦ ambivalence
about the distinctions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not
helping the cause.
After all, how is Taiwan to demand respect from other countries and expect them
to address it by its correct name when the government itself commits such
errors? Witness the recent controversy over the Taipei City Government¡¦s
advertisement at MRT stations, with its reference to China as neidi (¤º¦a,
¡§inland¡¨), a loaded term implying that China¡¦s borders extend overseas to
Taiwan.
It is cases like this highlighting government officials¡¦ blatant show of
disrespect for their own that is sowing confusion and cultivating the
misconception among members of the international community that Taiwan is part
of China.
Taiwan can fight international injustice ¡X but only when the people and
officials alike can raise their collective voice in accord.
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