2022 Year in Review

shied away from angering China by self-censoring or
conforming to Beijing’s demands.
In 2018, China’s Civil Aviation Authority made
requests for the removal of any mention of Taiwan
to a range of international airlines. Websites now
display “Taipei, China” and “Taichung, China” instead
of the more accurate “Taipei, Taiwan” or “Taichung,
Taiwan”. Major international businesses and law
firms have also avoided establishing a strong, or in
some cases any, Taiwanese presence in fear of
damaging their lucrative access to mainland Chinese
markets.
Taiwan is unrecognised as an independent nation by
much of the world and even the UN. Its participation
on the world stage is so often barred by China’s
influence. On the rare occasion the island does
participate, it is forced to undergo exceptional
naming contortions as a balance between the de
facto independence of Taiwan and the need to avoid
irritating China.
"FOR INTERPRIDE, THE PRE-EMINENT
GLOBAL ORGANISATION IN ADVANCING
THE PRIDE MOVEMENT, TO HAVE PANDERED
TO CHINA IS NOTHING SHORT OF
SHOCKING."
For instance, “Chinese Taipei” is used in the
Olympics, “Taiwan, China” in the World Bank, and
most extravagant of all, the “Separate Customs
Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu” in
the World Trade Organisation.
These political considerations, created by the People’s
Republic, are accepted as commonplace in Taiwan as
a nod of acknowledgement to its
P A G E 2 5
P H O T O : A N D R E W L E U
O N U N S P L A S H