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Reactions to passport redesign split along party lines
A new passport design has been revealed, with the reactions to the design split along party lines.
The new passport cover was designed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It repositions and significantly shrinks the country's official English name of “Republic of China”, while enlarging and using a bold font for the word “Taiwan”.
The redesign is in response to a resolution passed by lawmakers in July that asked the ministry to highlight “Taiwan” over “China” on the passport cover.
The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) says the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is playing ideological games with the new design, which they say minimises and nearly erases the country's official name.
However, DPP lawmakers support the changes, saying the new passport’s emphasis on the English word “Taiwan” would prevent citizens from being misidentified as Chinese.
An NPP lawmaker also approves of the new design.
The passport with the new cover design is scheduled to be issued in January 2021.
