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Taiwan's new passport hopes to banish confusion with China

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/09/02/20200902-taiwan-unveils-new-passport.jpg"/><figcaption>Taiwan on Monday rolled out a newly redesigned passport, aiming to avoid confusion with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing&#x27;s stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty. <em>Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of China Taiwan</em></figcaption></figure></div><p><br/>TAIPEI - Taiwan rolled out a newly redesigned passport on Monday that gives greater prominence to the island&#x27;s day-to-day name, aiming to avoid confusion with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing&#x27;s stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty.</p><p>Existing Taiwanese passports have &quot;Republic of China&quot;, its formal name, written in large English font at the top, with &quot;Taiwan&quot; printed at the bottom, creating confusion internationally according to the government.</p><p>During the early days of the pandemic Taiwan says some of its citizens were confused with Chinese nationals and on occasion unfairly subject to the same COVID-19-related entry bans when the disease was well under control in Taiwan though not in China.</p><p>The new passport enlarges the word &quot;Taiwan&quot; in English and removes &quot;Republic of China&quot;, though that name in Chinese and in small English font around the national emblem remains.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/02/20/taiwan-unveils-new-passport-to-avoid-confusion-with-mainland-china">Taiwan unveils new passport to avoid confusion with mainland China</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/06/21/taiwan-says-chinese-jets-made-record-380-incursions-in-2020">Taiwan says Chinese jets made record 380 incursions in 2020</a></li></ul><p>Bureau of Consular Affairs Director General Phoebe Yeh told Reuters that as of mid-morning Monday, they had received more than 700 applications for the new passport, compared with a daily average of 1,000 typically.</p><p>&quot;The purpose is to increase the visibility of Taiwan so that our people will not be mistakenly identified as coming from China when they travel abroad,&quot; she said.</p><p>Chen Li-ting, one of the first to apply for the new passport, said the change was &quot;fantastic&quot;.</p><p>&quot;I thought it would happen sooner or later. That is, sooner or later the word Taiwan would appear more and more. And in the future Republic of China will perhaps disappear,&quot; he said.</p><p>China, referring to the new passports, has said it does not matter what &quot;petty moves&quot; Taiwan made, it would not change the fact that Taiwan was an inseparable part of China.</p><p>China claims democratic Taiwan as its sovereign territory, and says only it has the right to speak for the island internationally, a position it has pushed strongly during the pandemic, especially at the World Health Organization (WHO).</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmTUJtHKezY?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Taiwan rolled out a newly redesigned passport on Monday that gives greater prominence to the island's day-to-day name, aiming to avoid confusion with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing's stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty.</p>

Taiwan rolled out a newly redesigned passport on Monday that gives greater prominence to the island's day-to-day name, aiming to avoid confusion with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Beijing's stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty.