Govt backs AI decision on renaming' Taiwan

New Delhi: The Indian Government on Thursday fully backed national carrier Air India’s decision to rename Taiwan on its website as Chinese Taipei, saying the move “is entirely consistent with international norms” and the Indian “position” on Taiwan since 1949 but the Indian move drew flak from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India (TECC) that termed it a “gesture of succumbing to the unreasonable and absurd pressure from China”.

As part of the One-China policy, India — like most nations in the world — regards Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and does not have formal diplomatic ties with it even though Taiwan is not under the actual control of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In 1949, the Communist Party of China under Chairman Mao Tse-Tung won the civil war there and militarily defeated the Kuomintang, whose leader Chiang Kai Shek fled to the island of Taiwan and ruled there with American support. Hong Kong was earlier under British rule and reverted back to Chinese control in 1997 while Macau—-which was earlier under Portuguese rule—reverted back to Chinese control two years after that in 1999. But Taiwan continues to remain firmly outside Chinese control.

Air India sources said, “There was a mail from China Registry, MEA, Government Of India wherein they have approved the nomenclatures to be used by Air India on its website in respect of Hongkong SAR Of China, Macau SAR of China and Chinese Taipei.”

On Thursday, the MEA said, “Air India’s decision to rename the destination of Taiwan as Chinese Taipei is entirely consistent with international norms and our own position on Taiwan since 1949.” The MEA also in a different context on Thursday said there was a lot of “sweetness” currently in Sino-Indian ties and that these ties have “changed a lot” since the informal summit at Wuhan.