TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday (May 31) announced it would change the terminology used on foreign press credentials amid criticism of the inclusion of the word “China.”
Credentials issued to foreign journalists in Taiwan currently list them as “residing in China (住華),” referring to Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China, Liberty Times reported. The People’s Republic of China also uses China (華) in its press credentials.
After more than a month of review, MOFA officially removed the original Mandarin wording.
MOFA spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) said new press credentials will have “Taiwan” listed after “Republic of China” in English. Foreign media commonly refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan,” thus, this amendment aligns with a general understanding and helps avoid confusion, Liu said.
The altered design was simplified after taking into account the layout of journalist credentials from other countries, he said.
These new press credentials will be provided to incoming foreign media journalists. However, those who currently hold valid press credentials can continue to use them, the spokesperson said.
Those interested in obtaining the new credentials can apply for a replacement through MOFA’s Department of International Information Services.
According to MOFA, Taiwan is home to 150 journalists from 83 foreign media organizations representing 23 countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Turkey, Colombia, and Brazil.
Source: Taiwan News
