Editing Taiwanization (section)

=== Name change campaign ===
[[File:Taiwan ROC Passport.jpg|thumb|[[ROC passport|Republic of China (Taiwan) passport]].]]
[[File:Taichung Post Office, Taiwan 20070831.jpg|thumb|[[Chunghwa Post|Taiwan Post Co.]] post office in [[Taichung]].]]
Between 2002 and 2007, the ROC government under Chen Shui-bian took steps to revise the terms "China", "Republic of China", "Taipei", and others that impart an association with the Chinese culture.<ref name="relations">[[Ta Kung Pao|Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao]] (11 May 2002) [[Open Source Center|World News Connection]] ''Ta Kung Pao Editorial Criticizes Forces Promoting 'Taiwan' as Official Name. Rectification of Taiwan's Name' Is Actually for the Sake of Pursuing 'Taiwan Independence.''</ref><ref>[[China Post]] (8 February 2007) ''The DPP's Cultural Revolution.''</ref><ref>[[China Post]] (11 February 2007) ''The name-change fever.''</ref><ref>Hsiu-chuan, Shih. (21 March 2007) [[Taipei Times]] ''[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/03/21/2003353189 Wu's transfer to US upsets pan-blues.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407073334/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/03/21/2003353189 |date=2019-04-07 }}'' Page 3.</ref>

In 2002, the "Name Rectification Campaign" made significant advances in replacing the terms "China", "Republic of China", or "Taipei" with the term "Taiwan" on official documents, in the names of Taiwan-registered organizations, companies, and public enterprises on the island, and in the names of businesses stationed abroad.<ref name="relations"/> In 2003, the ROC Foreign Ministry issued a new [[Republic of China passport|passport]] with the word "Taiwan" printed in English on its cover.<ref>Qing, Hua (Beijing Renmin Ribao) (17 June 2003) [[Open Source Center|World News Connection]] ''What 'Convenience' Does the Addition of 'Taiwan' Provide? Column Criticizes Decision to Add 'Taiwan' to Passports.''</ref> Moreover, in January 2005, Taiwan adopted a Westernized writing format for government documents, denied that it was an attempt at desinicization, and promoted the actions as "a concerted effort at globalizing Taiwan's ossified bureaucracies and upgrading the nation's competitive edge."<ref>Shu-ling, Ko. (4 January 2005) [[Taipei Times]] ''[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/01/04/2003217950 Using Westernized writing format isn't an issue: premier.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407073333/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/01/04/2003217950 |date=2019-04-07 }}'' Page 2.</ref>

Campaigning in this area continued in March 2006, where the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] sought to change the Republic of China year designation used in Taiwan to the [[Gregorian calendar]].<ref name="calendar">Wu, Lilian - [[Central News Agency (Republic of China)|Taipei Central News Agency]]. (21 March 2006) [[Open Source Center|World News Connection]] ''Taiwan Lawmakers Say Changing Year Designation To Cost Nearly $309 Million.''</ref> Instead of the year 2006 being referred to as the "95th year of the ROC"—with the 1912 founding of the Republic of China being referred to as "the first year of the ROC"—the year 2006 would be identified as 2006 in official usage such as on banknotes, IDs, national health insurance cards, driver's licenses, diplomas and wedding certificates.<ref name="calendar"/> This was viewed as the government trying another angle for desinicization by removing any trace of China from Taiwan.<ref name="calendar"/>

In February 2007, the term "China" was replaced by the term "Taiwan" on Taiwan postage stamps to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the [[February 28 Incident]] that began on 28 February 1947 that was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang (KMT).<ref>[[China Post]] (14 February 2007) ''Desinicization likely to continue.''</ref> In that same month, the name of the official [[mail|postal service]] of Taiwan was changed from the [[Chunghwa Post|Chunghwa Post Co.]] to The Taiwan Post Co.<ref>Wu, Sophia. (23 July 2007) [[Central News Agency (Republic of China)|Taiwan Headlines]]. ''[https://archive.today/20120805171831/http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=81816&CtNode=39 Cgj Not To Deal With Name Change Constitutionality Issue.]''</ref> The company's name was changed back on 1 August 2008, and the names on the postal stamps were reversed in late 2008, soon after the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) candidate [[Ma Ying-Jeou]] won back presidency and ended 8 years of the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] (DPP) rule.

In March 2007, the name plate of the [[Republic of China diplomatic missions|ROC Embassy in Panama]] was revised both to include the word "Taiwan" in parentheses between the words "the Republic of China" and "Embassy" in both of its Chinese and Spanish titles, and to omit the ROC national emblem.<ref>Huang, Ramon; Wu, Sofia. (25 March 2007) [[Central News Agency (Republic of China)|Taiwan Headlines]] ''[http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=67612&CtNode=39 Taiwan Embassies, Representative Offices in Latin America Replace Name Plates.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032141/http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=67612&CtNode=39 |date=2016-03-04 }}''</ref>

Supporters of the name-change movement argue that the Republic of China no longer exists, as it did not include Taiwan when it was founded in 1912 and mainland China is now controlled by the Chinese Communist Party as the People's Republic of China.  Furthermore, the ambiguity surrounding the [[legal status of Taiwan]] as a result of the [[Treaty of peace with Japan]] and [[Treaty of San Francisco]] after World War II, means that the Republic of China was merely a military occupier of Taiwan.  As Japan relinquished its sovereignty over Taiwan without passing it to a specific country, it is argued that Taiwan ought to be deemed a land belonging to no country, whose international status has yet to be defined.