Recently in Taiwan Category
By Caroline Gluck | BBC World News
March 16, 2008
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take part in rival political rallies across Taiwan.
What is known as Super Sunday is the last chance for big weekend rallies before polls to elect a new president.
The events, organised by the two main political parties, are also aimed at expressing public opposition to China's anti-secession law.
Passed three years ago, it legalises the use of force against Taiwan if the island formally declares independence.
China regards the island as part of its territory.
Government officials have warned that the violent events in the past few days in Tibet have implications for Taiwan - showing Beijing would not give up the use of force against the island to resolve disputes.
The events mark a big push by both political parties to rally their supporters and woo the undecided ahead of next week's presidential election.
The rallies are taking place at roughly the same time across the island.
In its carefully choreographed event, the governing Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, is hoping to mobilise more than a million supporters, asking them to gather at designated points so that they form two separate lines along the island's east and west coast.
At 1514 local time - symbolising the date, 14 March, when China passed its anti-secession law - they will begin walking.
They will move in an anticlockwise direction, highlighting the party's campaign slogan Reverse the Tide - to turn back their political fortunes and that of their candidate, who has been trailing in opinion polls.
For its part, the opposition KMT or Kuomintang, are also hoping to mobilise more than a million supporters, holding rallies in every city and county around the island.
One of the aims of their rally is also to show public opposition to China's anti-secession law.
The threats posed by the law have taken on added significance in recent days, following the use of force by Chinese troops to quell protests in Tibet.
Both presidential candidates have condemned the violence.
And government officials here issued strong statements, warning that the events in Tibet showed that China would never give up the option of using force against Taiwan to resolve cross-strait disputes.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | The New York Times
January 10, 2008
A Japanese educational company is recalling 10,000 electronic talking globes after customers complained that self-governing Taiwan was labeled a part of the People's Republic of China.
The ''Smart Globe'' sold by Tokyo-based Gakken calls Taiwan -- which split from communist China amid civil war in 1949 -- ''Taiwan Island'' and says it comes under the jurisdiction of Beijing, the company said in a statement Thursday.
An electronic voice also tells users pointing to Taiwan that the island is part of the People's Republic of China, the official name of the Chinese communist regime, according to Gakken spokesman Satoru Aihara.
He said Gakken's Chinese manufacturer had refused to produce the globes -- which are sold only in Japan -- unless Taiwan was labeled as a Chinese region.
''Selling these globes was a serious error on our part,'' Aihara said. ''Unfortunately we let cost considerations override sound judgment.''
By TODAYonline.com
17 December 2007
Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu on Sunday accused China of interfering with the island's upcoming parliamentary and presidential polls by trying to squeeze its air space.
Lu said that on November 26 China, via Hong Kong's aviation authorities, added a new flight route in the Taiwan Strait that is 42 miles (67.2 kilometres) closer to the centre of the strait -- a "middle line" that has been observed for decades by Taiwan and China to prevent unexpected clashes.
The new flight route was endorsed by China's Central Military Commission on December 5, said Lu, an outspoken critic of China.
In so doing, the Taiwan air force's two existing bombing practice areas in the Strait will be cut and their training capacity reduced, she said in Taipei while campaigning for a legislative election candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
"The move is apparently another territory claim by China," Lu said, adding that the chances of unexpected clashes between the two sides may go up.
By BBC News
November 20, 2007
The appointment of a Chinese judge to the highest court in the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been blocked by Taiwan in a surprise decision.
Taiwan lodged its objection citing fears of bias and the step forced a meeting on the matter to be adjourned.
China's Zhang Yuejiao was among four candidates nominated to the WTO's seven-member Appellate Body in June.
She would have been China's first judge on the body, which rules on trade disputes between WTO member states.
Beijing regards the island of Taiwan - which has been under self-rule since the end of the civil war in 1949 - as a renegade province which should eventually be reunified with China.
It consistently blocks Taiwanese attempts to join United Nations bodies, but has made an exception for economic organisations such as the WTO.
'Deep concerns'
The Dispute Settlement Body met on Monday in Geneva and one of the items on the agenda was the consideration of the nominations to the Appellate Body.
But then Taiwan asked for that particular item to be removed. Other member states present, including the US, Japan and the European Union, were reportedly taken aback.
With no way out of the impasse, the meeting's chairman was forced to adjourn the talks.
"We have deep concerns on the question of impartiality and qualification of one of the recommended candidates," the Taiwanese delegation said in a statement.
A selection committee had circulated the names of all four nominees to WTO members earlier in the month.
But Monday saw "the first formal opportunity for them to object", an official told Reuters news agency.
By Associated Press | via (uncensored) Yahoo! News
November 14, 2007
China is stamping return to sender on mail from Taiwan postmarked with a slogan supporting the island's bid to join the United Nations.
Taiwan's post office began putting a "U.N. for Taiwan" postmark on selected items of outgoing mail six weeks ago.
Letters and parcels bearing that slogan and one saying "Taiwan joining the United Nations" were being returned as a protest against alleged independence activities by the government of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, according to Fan Liqing of China's Taiwan Affairs Council.
Liu Te-shun of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council -- the Cabinet-level body in charge of implementing China policy -- said China's action contravened international mail practice.
"It is common for countries to stamp commemorative slogans on mail," he said.
Since their split amid civil war nearly 60 years ago, Taiwan and China have confronted each other angrily across the 100-mile Taiwan Strait.
China regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has threatened to attack if it formalizes its de facto independence
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