As part of its move towards formal statehood distinct from the communist People’s Republic of China on the mainland, the Taiwanese leadership has launched a campaign to remove the word ‘China’ from company names.
While many Taiwanese find the name changes necessary, some analysts have warned they could raise Taiwan-China tensions or even invite invasion by China.
Last week Chen changed four company names: Chinese Petroleum Corp became Taiwan Chinese Petroleum Corp, China Shipbuilding Corp became Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corp.