Taiwan’s New Passport Shrinks ‘Republic of China’
Taiwan on Monday launched a mannequin new passport that areas a diplomatic spin on the thought of social distancing amid the pandemic.
The self-governing island’s official put collectively, Republic of China, has been downsized, although it stays on the quilt in Chinese characters. The phrases “Taiwan Passport” seem in monumental daring absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely 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absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely utterly absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely absolutely utterly utterly utterly absolutely completely completely absolutely completely absolutely utterly utterly completely utterly utterly completely different. The authorities talked about early contained contained contained all by the pandemic that it was all an try to decrease as shortly as further confusion surrounding its residents touring all by the course of the coronavirus outbreak, and to disassociate them from of us coming from mainland China as many worldwide areas rushed to bar entry to Chinese vacationers.
“Today is the day,” Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, talked about in an Instagram submit on Monday night time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time time. “The big TAIWAN on the cover will accompany the people of the country to travel around the world, and it will also make the international community more unable to ignore the existence of Taiwan,” she wrote. (She furthermore boasted that beforehand yr, Taiwan had efficiently slowed the unfold of the virus whereas sustaining financial progress.)
The passport change is the latest salvo contained contained contained all by the tense relationship between the island and China, which considers Taiwan its non-public territory and has extended warned that it ought to lastly unite with the mainland.
The unveiling comes days ahead of the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, is scheduled to journey to Taipei for a three-day go to to counter China’s makes an attempt not too methodology as shortly as further to isolate Taiwan on the worldwide stage, and in assist of what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described as an try to stage out “what a free China could achieve.”
The Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times revealed an editorial threatening an “avalanche” from Beijing in response to the announcement. “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army fighters will fly over the island of Taiwan immediately, declaring Beijing’s sovereignty over the island in an unprecedented way,” the paper wrote.
Last weekend, Mr. Pompeo also announced that the United States would relax its restrictions on interactions between American officials and their counterparts in Taiwan as the Trump administration seeks to lock in a tougher line against Beijing in its final days.
Relations between Taipei and Beijing have been deteriorating steadily, with China sending military planes into Taiwan’s airspace on a regular basis and using a torrent of threatening language. In October, when Taiwan hosted a reception to celebrate its national day in Fiji, two mainland Chinese diplomats showed up at the reception uninvited and sought to photograph guests. A fistfight ensued.
Taiwan’s New Power Party started an unofficial online competition last year to remake the passport cover, and people submitted designs featuring maps of the island, a monk in a canoe and a bird balancing bubble tea on its head.
The authorities ultimately went with a traditional design, with “Republic of China” scaled down to a small fraction of its original size and encircling an icon of a sun.
Taiwan gave a glimpse of the new passport design in September, months after the coronavirus first emerged.
“Our people have kept hoping that we can give more prominence to Taiwan’s visibility, avoiding people mistakenly thinking they are from China,” Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, said at the time.
A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, Hua Chunying, said then that “no matter what tricks” the Taiwanese authorities pulled, they could not “change the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.”
As of Monday morning, the Bureau of Consular Affairs in Taipei, the capital, said it had received more than 700 applications for the new passport, compared with a typical daily average of 1,000, Reuters reported. A new version of the e-passport was also released, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Claire Fu contributed reporting.
