Why Taiwan Is Changing Its Passport – Burning Issues

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Republic of China

TheRepublic of China(ROC) was asovereign statebasedinmainland Chinabetween 1912 and 1949.
It was established on 1 January 1912 after theXinhai Revolution, which overthrew theQing dynasty, the lastimperial dynasty of China.
In 1946 Civil War started in Chinabetween the KMT, the rulling party, and CCP.

In 1949, CCP established the People’s Republic of China, overthrowing the nationalist government in Nanjing.
The ROCgovernmentfled to theislandof Taiwan. It took control of Taiwan and several nearby islands.

The “One-China policy” is a policy asserting that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, as opposed to the idea that there are two states.
According to People’s Republic of China, Taiwanis a province in China.
Democratic Republic of China opposes this policy.

TheRepublic of China passport is thepassportissued tonationalsof theRepublic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan.
The ROC passport is also generally referred as aTaiwan passport.
Even though theRepublic of Chinamaintains official relations with only17 countries, the ROC passport is still accepted as a valid travel document in most countries of the world.

According to theHenley Passport Index2020, The ROC passport is one of five passports with the most improved rating globally since 2006.
This Index rates a passport on the number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa.
As of 7 January 2020, holders of ROC passports had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 146 countries and territories, ranking the ROC passport 32ndin the world in terms of travel freedom
India 148
China 120
In 2015, Taiwanese pro-independence supporters placed the sticker on the front cover ofTaiwan passports.
The purpose of theses stickers was to re-brand the country’s official name from Republic of China to “Republic of Taiwan” .
Taiwan Passport Stickerwas designed by pro-Taiwan independenceactivist Denis Chen in 2015.

In April 2016 , Taiwan’s top legislative body approved an amendment to the law to allow stickers to be placed on passport covers.
At that time, Beijing had viewed these stickers as an attempt to assert Taiwanese independence.

In November 2015, Singapore had deported three Taiwanese nationals for using the stickers to block ‘Republic of China.’
Singaporesaid that the travel documents had been illegally altered.
United Statesof America also issued a warning that travellers using these stickers would be denied entry into the country.

On 1stSeptember, Taiwan announced it would redesign its passport to highlight its own name.
The move comes weeks after Taiwan’s legislature passed a proposal by unanimous vote to remove ‘Republic ofChina’, printed in English, from the passport cover.
‘Republic of China’ would, however, continue to be featured using Chinese characters on the passport cover.

Taiwan is among the few countries that has successfully managed to control the coronavirus outbreak.
Infection numbers have been low in comparison to many of its neighbours.
Taiwan’s Foreign minister said, despite this, several countries had imposed similar restrictions on Taiwanese nationals as they had on China’s citizens.

The Reuters report suggested that Taiwan nations had faced difficulties during travel during thecoronavirusoutbreak.
It is due to the word ‘Republic of China’ prominently printed on the passports and ‘Taiwan’ printed below.

Observers believe Taiwan may also be using the opportunity to assert its own sovereignty and move away from the Republic of China, its official name.
China has historically asserted sovereignty over Taiwan and has consistently tried to quash attempts signifying independence.

Since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen became President of Taiwan, Taiwan Independence movement has gained momentum.
In May 2020, She said Taiwan cannot accept becoming part of China under its “one country, two systems” offer of autonomy.
The corona virus, the Hong Kong crackdown and the WHO controversy have drastically altered the bilateral relation between US and Taiwan.