Taiwan’s government should actively protest the International Organization for Standardization’s continued listing of the country as “Taiwan, Province of China” on its official website.
This ongoing situation undermines Taiwan’s status and should be rectified in the name of dignity and justice, according to a reader who brought this issue to the attention of The Liberty Times.
Chen Jay-son, director-general of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, said the ISO controversy dates back several years to when the Democratic Progressive Party was in power.
At that time, Chen said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of International Organizations commissioned lawyers to file a lawsuit with a court in Geneva, Switzerland, against the ISO, requesting rectification of the country’s designation.
The Geneva-based international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national organizations has used the designation for Taiwan since 1998 when it published the ISO 3166 country codes list.
MOFA spokesman James Chang said the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland in September of last year refused to entertain Taiwan’s lawsuit on the grounds that a civil tribunal had no jurisdiction over a case with political implications.
The five-member panel of judges, however, reaffirmed in its decision that Taiwan meets the prerequisites for being designated as a country and has the right to sue the ISO over its incorrect reference to Taiwan in its country code list, according to MOFA.
Chang said despite the setback, the ministry would continue its efforts to protect Taiwan’s legal rights. (SB)