Taiwan-China name row erupts at Tokyo film festival
Taipei: A new dispute between Taiwan and China erupted over the weekend after a mainland official demanded the island's delegation to the Tokyo International Film Festival be renamed.
Jiang Ping, the head of the Chinese contingent at the festival said yesterday that the Taiwan delegation should be renamed the "China Taiwan delegation", shortly before the opening ceremony.
His Taiwanese counterpart flatly rejected the call, and today a government spokesman waded into the row.
"The Chinese delegation should not use politics to interfere in the movie exchanges," Taiwan government spokesman Johnny Chiang told the state Central News Agency.
"The move has infringed the rights of Taiwan people participating in the the film festival."
In the wake of the row, stars from both delegations missed the walk along the "green carpet" -- changed from the traditional red to highlight environmental concerns -- which kicked off the festival.
The name issue has long been a sensitive topic for the island and its giant neighbour, which split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
In a compromise, Taiwan has been allowed to participate in some international organisations, such as Olympics, under the name of "Chinese Taipei".
Ties between Taipei and Beijing have improved markedly since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 on platform of ramping up trade links and allowing in more Chinese tourists.
But Beijing still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting to be reunified, by force if necessary, though Taiwan has ruled itself for more than 60 years.
