Taipei recently spurned proposed talks with China until the “one country, two systems” proposal that characterizes Beijing’s relationship with Macau and Hong Kong is dropped from negotiations. Beijing called the move a further slide toward independence for what it considers a rebellious province.
Taiwan has dropped the country’s formal name – the Republic of China – from the front of its passports in order to eliminate casual confusion with the People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, the US State Department has removed “self-imposed” barriers to US contact with Taiwanese officials, infuriating the government in Beijing.
On Monday, Taiwan rolled out the first passports with a new design that highlights the name “Taiwan” by eliminating the English-language text saying “Republic of China” at the top.
Reuters noted that during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the outbreak was primarily confined to China, Taiwanese citizens traveling abroad encountered problems when they were mistaken for Chinese citizens and barred entry under COVID-related travel bans.
The move follows a decision last month to change passport entry and export stamps from a design featuring a plum blossom, Taiwan’s national flower, to one that incorporates the outline of the island, according to Taiwan News.
The government in Taiwan once ruled all of China, in the years after the last Chinese emperor, Pu Yi, abdicated in 1912 and a republic was declared. However, after the government lost the civil war against communist forces in 1949, which declared a People’s Republic of China in Beijing, the Republican government survived only in Taiwan, which was relatively secure from invasion. Since then, both governments have claimed to be the sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced he was discarding all “self-imposed restrictions” on the interactions of US officials with their Taiwanese counterparts, saying they had been adopted “in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing.”
Numerous and unprecedented high-profile visits by US officials to the island in recent months have troubled US relations with Beijing, as have a slew of new proposed arms sales including missiles, advanced fighter jets and combat drones. Later this week, US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft is expected to touch down on Taiwan.
“Such a move is tantamount to committing a crime to structurally damage peace in the Taiwan Straits and jeopardize China-US efforts to keep the bottom line stable,” the Times editors wrote on Sunday. “The dire consequences will be beyond anyone’s predictions.”
Sourse: sputniknews.com
