I read from TODAYonline (10th March 2005) that China expressed shock yesterday after Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso called Taiwan a "country" (more specifically, a "law-governed country") and accused him of intervening in its internal affairs because Beijing considers Taiwan as an island part of China.
All along, do you say that Taiwan is a country or do you call Taiwan an island? A friend actually did a search on Google and Yahoo! after I asked her this question... anyway, the search results, cached pages say/record it all.
This article found in gdgs.gov.cn (in Chinese) shows the tension caused if a site/company classifies Taiwan and even Hong Kong as a country... hence, the danger of using this term: "Select a country"
- My friend was checking out the flight fare in ZUJI and I was shown that China and Taiwan are classified separately under the "Select a country" drop-list.
- It is even "better off" in 3M, BP, Head and Shoulders, Motorola, wotif.com, Yamaha, etc... where China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are listed separatedly under the "Country" selection.
The author suggests changing "Select a country" to a more ambiguous one like "Select a country/region/city/area"...
And some sites actually referred to Taiwan as a country even though they recognize or consider Taiwan as part of China:
- Australian government - Deparment of Foreign Affairs and Trade uses "Taiwan - Country Information" as a webpage title... but in some pdf files you will also find this small print that says: "The Australian Government recognises the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China. It has no official dealings with Taiwan."
- BBC news - "Country profile: Taiwan"... followed by "Taiwan is the island which has for all practical purposes been independent for half a century but which China regards as a renegade province that must be re-united with the mainland."
Is referring to Taiwan as both a country and an island the best of both worlds?
*Note: The author is not trying to stir up any political tension between China and any parties named above. She is only trying to find out who listed Taiwan as a country despite their knowledge or even recognition that Taiwan is a part of China.
***
Source: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: country
Pronunciation: 'k&n-trE
Meanings:
1: an indefinite usually extended expanse of land : REGION
2a: the land of a person's birth, residence, or citizenship
2b: a political state or nation or its territory