Why is Taiwan redesigning its passport?

Team Udayavani, Sep 3, 2020, 6:14 PM IST

Taiwan on Wednesday, Sep 2, said that it would redesign its passport to give greater prominence to the island’s name. Officials unveiled the new passports at a ceremony

The new passport, expected to come into circulation in January, removes the large English words “Republic of China”, though the name in Chinese characters will remain, and enlarges the word “Taiwan” in English.

Taiwan has complained during the outbreak that its nationals have encountered problems entering other countries, as Taiwanese passports have the words “Republic of China”, its formal name, written in large English font at the top, with “Taiwan” printed at the bottom.

It is said that the redesign was to stop confusion between its nationals and citizens of China.

According to Reuters, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said new passports were needed to prevent their nationals being mistaken for Chinese citizens, especially with the stepped up entry checks many countries have begun since the pandemic began

Also, The government is considering a name change or a full redesign, for Taiwan’s largest carrier, China Airlines (2610.TW),to avoid confusion with China.