Marchers Want ‘China’ Out of Taiwan’s Name

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Thousands of independence activists took to the streets of Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Saturday, campaigning for the island to be officially called Taiwan rather than the Republic of China.

“We are here today to identify who we are,” Chen Lung-chu, one of the organizers, said.

“We are Taiwanese.”

Self-governing Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of China. The Communist mainland, which regards the island as a renegade province, is known as the People’s Republic of China.

The chanting protesters carried placards and marched to the presidential office to demand that the island’s official title be changed to Taiwan to remove any reference to the mainland. Protesters had earlier hurled rocks at a handful of unification supporters who appeared at the scene in an attempt to lodge a counter- protest.

The pro-independence protesters said their march was also aimed at raising Taiwan’s international profile.

“Only when the name of Taiwan appears on the nation’s title can Taiwan be recognized by the international society,” said protester Wei Chien-mao.

Beijing says the self-governing island must be brought under its rule, by force if necessary, and has threatened to attack if it declares statehood.

Taiwan’s president, Chen Shui-bian, has mellowed his pro-independence stance but refuses to embrace Beijing’s “one China” principle, which states that Taiwan is a part of China.