Foreign Affairs

Taiwan Changes Passport To Avoid International Discrimination, Confusion With People’s Republic Of China

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Taiwan has announced a change in the design of the nation’s passports in order to end discrimination towards Taiwanese travelers overseas who are often confused as citizens of the People’s Republic of China.

Previously, Taiwanese passports have prominently displayed the country’s official name, “Republic of China,” at the top of the document’s front cover. While the Chinese rendering of this name will remain, the English rendering will now be displayed in a smaller font inside the country’s official seal, according to the South China Morning Post.

“Taiwan,” the name of the large island that makes up 99% of the country’s landmass, has been regularly used in reference to the Republic of China in order to differentiate it from the much larger and more internationally prominent People’s Republic of China, the South China Morning Post reports. This unofficial name will now be displayed prominently on the lower half of the passport for clarity.

The new passport is expected to be issued in January 2021.

Times change & so do passports. #TAIWAN???????? is front & center of the new design. Greater visibility equals easier recognition & less confusion. The country’s passport is the 33rd best worldwide, affording holders visa privileges in 170 countries & regions!
➡️https://t.co/BIDqHtGkMh pic.twitter.com/vhe5Suwh62

— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) ???????? (@MOFA_Taiwan) September 2, 2020

Relations between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China have been abysmal since Taiwan was founded by the ousted Chinese republican government in the aftermath of Mao Zedong’s communist revolution.

The island has claimed national sovereignty since 1949. However, the People’s Republic of China strictly views Taiwan as territory of their country, and treats the decades of Taiwanese self-governance as rebellious civil unrest.

Both the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan were recognized by the United Nations until 1971, when Taiwan was excluded.

President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps to bring the United States and Taiwan closer together. The U.S. is Taiwan’s most prominent source of military equipment, and the Trump administration recently closed a 10-year, $62 billion deal supplying 90 F-16 planes to the island nation.