MOFA condemns China’s campaign to force foreign firms to change Taiwan’s designation

TAIPEI, Jan 19, 2019, Taiwan Today. China’s outrageous demand on dozens of major multinational corporations to force them to change the designation of Taiwan to “Taiwan, China” on their websites was strongly condemned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan. 17, reported the Taiwan Today.

Beijing’s repeated moves to impose its executive jurisdiction and political ideology on foreign businesses not only expose its malicious intent but also violate the spirit of free international commerce, the MOFA said.

Earlier this month, 66 firms that identified Taiwan as a country were threatened by China with penalties if they did not downgrade its status. The list of companies, which include Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and Nike Inc., was published in “The Blue Book on the Cyber Rule of Law in China 2018” by the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Internet Development Research Institution of Peking University.

According to the ministry, the threat is yet another attempt by China to belittle Taiwan following its pressuring of airlines and international companies to change how they refer to Taiwan in early 2018.

The MOFA also called on the international community to support Taiwan and resist China’s campaign of coercion to prevent Beijing from intensifying its intimidation tactics. It urged countries where the affected companies are based to assist them in refusing China’s unreasonable demands.

The Chinese government should accept that the Republic of China (Taiwan) exists and that Taiwan is absolutely not subject to its jurisdiction, the MOFA said. All efforts to suppress Taiwan will only give rise to antipathy among the people, jeopardize cross-strait relations and undermine regional peace and stability, it added.