A new round of "de-sinicizing" moves by Taiwanese authorities
keen to eliminate the word "Chinese" from company names has sparked
criticism on the island.
Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian announced on Feb. 8 that the
authorities will remove the words "China" or "Chinese" from the
island's "government-run" organizations, enterprises and from
certain laws and regulations.
Under the scheme, the names "Chunghwa (meaning China) Post Co."
and "Chinese Petroleum Corp" (CPC) will be changed to "Taiwan Post
Co." and "CPC Corporation, Taiwan".
The move has been opposed by local trade unions, which said the
move was politically motivated and that Chen "was wasting
taxpayers' money on meaningless ideological changes."
Xinhuanet.com estimated that the name change would cost
"Chunghwa Post Co." and "Chinese Petroleum Corp." at least US$30
million each.
Taiwan opposition leader and former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou
also lambasted Chen's move, saying that the government should focus
on economic development and bring down the unemployment rate rather
than on name changes.
According to a survey conducted by TVBS, a local Taiwan TV
station, only 21 percent of Taiwan citizens agreed with the
authority's name changing moves, while 55 percent expressed
disapproval.
The name changing initiative is the most recent in a series of
"de-sinicizing" moves by Chen Shui-bian who wants to cut Taiwan's
links to the mainland.
Last month, Taiwan authorities adopted a resolution that
requires the island's National Palace Museum to remove all the
labels that identify exhibits as being from the Chinese mainland.
The move triggered criticism from both mainland and Taiwan
scholars.
(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2007)