Taiwan to Redesign Passport After Being 'Fed Up of Being Confused With China' Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Taiwan, September 2: Taiwan on Wednesday said that it would redesign its passport to give greater prominence to the island’s name. According to a Reuters report, the decision was taken after being fed up of being confused with China amid the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing's stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty.

Taiwan informed that their people have faced problems while entering other countries, as Taiwanese passports have the words “Republic of China”, its formal name, written in large English font at the top, with “Taiwan” printed at the bottom. Taiwan Health Officials Break Gender Stereotypes, Wear Pink Face Mask in Response to Fear of Bullying Among Male Students Amid Coronavirus Outbreak (See Pictures).

Taiwan to Redesign Passport

Fed up with being confused for China amid the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing’s stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty, Taiwan said it would redesign its passport to give greater prominence to the island's name https://t.co/XnoL6jqQ8q pic.twitter.com/8z4LmOVRG2

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 2, 2020

The new passport is expected to come in circulation in January 2021. It will remove the English words “Republic of China”, though the name in Chinese characters will remain, and enlarges the word “Taiwan” in English. Taiwan's Foreign Minister mentioned that the need for the new passport is more now because their nationals are being mistaken for Chinese citizens as countries have tightened border amid the coronavirus pandemic.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 02, 2020 11:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).