Tim Chngby Tim Chng
語言:
English
Photo Credit: Zairon/WikiCommons/CC BY-SA 4.0
WHEN PEOPLE FROM Taiwan travel internationally, one frustrating experience they face happens long before they board a plane or check into a hotel. Whether booking airline tickets, hotel reservations, or simply registering for a conference online, they are often forced to select their country of origin from a dropdown menu—and more often than not, what they see is “Taiwan, China” or “Taiwan, Province of China.”
This labeling isn’t just inaccurate—it’s deeply offensive to many Taiwanese and factually misleading. Taiwan is a vibrant democracy with a population of over 23 million people, its own government, passport, currency, and military. And yet, in the digital age, many international platforms still misrepresent it as a subregion of another country.
A Mislabeling That Feels Personal
FOR MOST TAIWANESE travelers, this isn’t about political grandstanding—it’s about dignity and recognition. Imagine attending an international academic conference, representing your university or research institute from Taiwan, and having to select a country that doesn’t truly represent your home. Or explaining to a travel agent why you need to have “Taiwan” listed correctly on your itinerary. These seemingly small interactions accumulate into a larger frustration: why are non-political entities perpetuating a political agenda?
Ironically, many of these airlines, hotels, and event organizers have no direct ties to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), nor do they have any policy reason to adopt such terminology. And yet, they often default to “Taiwan, China” in their systems. When asked to change it, many are surprised to learn about the issue and are quick to correct it, realizing they’ve unknowingly participated in a misrepresentation.
The Quiet Force Behind the Label: ISO
SO WHERE DOES this label come from? One major source is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO publishes international codes for countries and territories (known as ISO 3166), and its official listing for Taiwan is: “Taiwan, Province of China.” This designation is then adopted by major IT infrastructure providers, databases, and global organizations—often without question. As a result, thousands of companies and institutions, even those with no political stance on the China-Taiwan issue, automatically replicate this outdated and politically charged label.
This is not a matter of international recognition of sovereignty—it’s about accuracy, neutrality, and respect in how a place is named. The ISO is supposed to maintain impartial and technically sound standards, but its naming of Taiwan clearly reflects political pressure, not geographic or factual reality.
It’s time to change this.
This is not just a matter for governments—it’s a people’s issue, experienced by everyday Taiwanese citizens and echoed by the global Taiwanese diaspora. The name “Taiwan, China” is inaccurate and disrespects Taiwan’s identity and autonomy.
You can help by signing and sharing this petition:
👉 Sign the petition to correct Taiwan’s ISO designation
This is more than just a drop-down menu—it’s about affirming truth, fighting misinformation, and showing solidarity with the people of Taiwan. Let’s ensure that international naming standards reflect geography and reality, not politics.
Let Taiwan be Taiwan.