Editing Political status of Taiwan (section)

== Controversies and media coverage ==
Many political leaders who have maintained some form of the One-China Policy have committed slips of the tongue in referring to Taiwan as a country or as the Republic of China. United States presidents [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[George W. Bush]] have been known to have referred to Taiwan as a country during their terms of office. Although near the end of his term as U.S. Secretary of State, [[Colin Powell]] said that [[Taiwan]] is not a state, he referred to Taiwan as the Republic of China twice during a testimony to the [[U.S. Senate]] Foreign Relations Committee on 9 March 2001.<ref>{{cite news | title=US scrambles as Powell learns the art of 'diplospeak' | date=15 March 2001 | publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] | url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2001/03/15/77594 | access-date=31 August 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208085907/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2001/03/15/77594 | archive-date=8 February 2006 | url-status=live }}</ref> In the People's Republic of China Premier [[Zhu Rongji]]'s farewell speech to the [[National People's Congress]], Zhu accidentally referred to Mainland China and Taiwan as two countries.<ref>{{cite news | page=3 | title=China and Taiwan 'two countries': Zhu | date=6 March 2003 | newspaper=[[Taipei Times]] | url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2003/03/06/196950 | access-date=31 August 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051126211426/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2003/03/06/196950 | archive-date=26 November 2005 | url-status=live }}</ref> Zhu says in his speech at MIT University on April 15, 1999, "These raw materials and the components are mainly imported from Japan, [Korea], Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, while the value-added parts in China is very, very insignificant. That is to say, Chinese exports to the United States actually represent a transfer of the exports to the United States by the above-mentioned countries and the regions that I mentioned."<ref>"Transcript of Premier Zhu Rongji's speech at MIT", MIT News: On Campus and Around the World, April 15, 1999, Par. 20, Lines 1–4, news.mit.edu/1999/zhufull</ref> There are also those from the PRC who informally refer to Taiwan as a country.<ref>{{cite news | first=Caroline | last=Gluck | title=Taiwan struggles with Chinese dissidents | date=17 August 2005 | publisher=[[BBC News]]| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4153594.stm | access-date=31 August 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051027043243/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4153594.stm | archive-date=27 October 2005 | url-status=live }}</ref> South Africa delegates once referred to Taiwan as the "Republic of Taiwan" during [[Lee Teng-hui]]'s term as President of the ROC.<ref>{{cite web | author=Su Tseng-chang |date=3 June 1994 |script-title=zh:大聲說出「台灣属於我們中國」| publisher = [[Democratic Progressive Party|DPP]] | url=http://www.dpp.org.tw/news/common/ProductDetail.asp?prd_id=3068 | access-date=16 July 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060223132537/http://www.dpp.org.tw/news/common/ProductDetail.asp?prd_id=3068 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 23 February 2006|author-link=Su Tseng-chang }}</ref> In 2002, [[Michael Bloomberg]], the mayor of New York City, referred to Taiwan as a country.<ref>{{cite news |title=NY mayor stands up for Taiwan |date=2 May 2002 |newspaper=[[Taipei Times]] |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/05/02/134226 |access-date=17 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929130645/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2002/05/02/134226 |archive-date=29 September 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Most recently, former [[United States Secretary of Defense|U.S. Secretary of Defense]] [[Donald Rumsfeld]] stated in a local Chinese newspaper in California in July 2005 that Taiwan is "a sovereign nation". The People's Republic of China discovered the statement about three months after it was made.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

In a controversial speech on 4 February 2006, [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Japanese Foreign Minister]] [[Taro Aso]] called Taiwan a country with high education levels because of previous [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Japanese colonial rule]] over the island.<ref>{{cite news | page=2 | title=Good schools due to Japan: Aso | date=6 February 2006 | newspaper=[[Taipei Times]] | url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/02/06/2003291777 | access-date=12 March 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060208035456/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2006/02/06/2003291777 | archive-date=8 February 2006 | url-status=live }}</ref> One month later, he told a Japanese parliamentary committee that "[Taiwan's] democracy is considerably matured and [[Liberal theory of economics|liberal economics]] is deeply ingrained, so it is a law-abiding country. In various ways, it is a country that shares a sense of values with Japan." At the same time, he admitted that "I know there will be a problem with calling [Taiwan] a country".<ref>{{cite news | page=1 | title=Japan's Aso calls Taiwan a 'country' | date=10 March 2006 | newspaper=[[Taipei Times]] | url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/03/10/2003296575 | access-date=12 March 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508201827/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/03/10/2003296575 | archive-date=8 May 2006 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Taiwan was classified as a province of the People's Republic of China in the [[Apple Maps]] application in 2013; searches for "Taiwan" were changed automatically to "China Taiwan province" in Simplified Chinese, prompting the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan)|Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] to demand a correction from [[Apple Inc.|Apple]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/taiwan/10413744/Taiwan-demands-Apple-change-map-that-shows-it-as-part-of-China.html|title = Taiwan demands Apple change map that shows it as part of China|date = 30 October 2013|last1 = Ryall|first1 = Julian|access-date = 11 July 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612135856/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/taiwan/10413744/Taiwan-demands-Apple-change-map-that-shows-it-as-part-of-China.html|archive-date = 12 June 2018|url-status = live}}</ref>

On October 24, 2021, ''[[Last Week Tonight with John Oliver]]'' aired an episode about Taiwan after a petition on [[Change.org]] in June invited [[John Oliver|Oliver]] to discuss Taiwan's complex political situation and its international significance. In the segment, a brief but comprehensive [[history of Taiwan]] is provided with notable points such as occupation by the [[Dutch Formosa|Dutch]], [[Spanish Formosa|Spanish]], [[Taiwan under Qing rule|Manchu-Qing dynasty]], and [[Japanese rule in Taiwan|Japanese]]; path to [[History of Taiwan#Democratic reforms|becoming a prominent Asian democracy]]; and the strained relation with modern-day China. Oliver also highlighted Taiwan as the birthplace of [[bubble tea]], apologies made by [[John Cena]] after referring to Taiwan as a country, and the hesitation of international organizations like the [[World Health Organization]] and the [[International Olympic Committee|Olympics]] in properly representing Taiwan. He concluded the episode by emphasizing Taiwanese citizens' point of view and their right to determine the country's own future.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Oliver Irks China Press As Taiwan Skit Overshadows Xi Jinping Speech |url=https://www.newsweek.com/john-oliver-irks-china-press-taiwan-skit-overshadows-xi-jinping-speech-1642928 |access-date=30 November 2021 |publisher=[[Newsweek]]|date=27 October 2021 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129174242/https://www.newsweek.com/john-oliver-irks-china-press-taiwan-skit-overshadows-xi-jinping-speech-1642928 |url-status=live }}</ref>

To avoid controversy, multiple mainstream American media outlets refer to Taiwan as an island or democracy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alperstein |first=Ben |date=November 6, 2024 |title=How Do Media Organizations Define Taiwan? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2024/11/how-do-media-organizations-define-taiwan/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2021, the China's Taiwan Affairs Office stated that they would not allow pro-Taiwan independence people into China, including Hong Kong and Macau, naming Taiwanese Premier [[Su Tseng-chang]], Legislative Yuan Speaker [[You Si-kun]] and Foreign Minister [[Joseph Wu]] as people who are "stubbornly pro-Taiwan independence".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-05/china-taiwan-independence-banned-hong-kong-macau/100599500|title=If you support Taiwan's independence, China won't let you into the mainland, Hong Kong, or Macau|newspaper=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=5 November 2021|via=www.abc.net.au|access-date=5 November 2021|archive-date=5 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105154312/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-05/china-taiwan-independence-banned-hong-kong-macau/100599500|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, the [[board game]] [[Reversed Front: Dear Revolutionaries]] was launched under a private crowdfunding initiative, sparking minor escalations as such initiative attracted much attention by reaching more than 20 million during the initial phase.<ref>{{cite web |author1=ESC臺灣境外戰略溝通工作小組 |title=反共史詩桌遊《逆統戰：致地與海的革命者》每一位贊助人，都是下一場革命的金主 |url=https://www.zeczec.com/projects/reversedfront |website=嘖嘖 |access-date=2020-09-27 |archive-date=2021-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418231549/https://www.zeczec.com/projects/reversedfront }}</ref> Later on, the Chinese authorities banned their fellows from discussing the topic.<ref>{{cite news |title=怕了？台反共桌遊「逆統戰」頻遭出征 中官員竟下令不准討論 |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3295750 |publisher=自由時報 |date=2020-09-18 |accessdate=2020-09-27 |archive-date=2020-11-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129013059/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3295750 }}</ref> During the mean time, a count of eight [[Denial-of-service attack]] was found, sourcing to [[Chinese Communist Party|Chinese origins]], while CCP-controlled tabloid ''[[Global Times]]''<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-09-27 |title=多怕？台灣桌遊《逆統戰》讓中國官媒撰文崩潰狂嗆「台獨」 |url=https://www.msn.com/zh-tw/news/national/%E5%A4%9A%E6%80%95%EF%BC%9F%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E6%A1%8C%E9%81%8A%E3%80%8A%E9%80%86%E7%B5%B1%E6%88%B0%E3%80%8B%E8%AE%93%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%98%E5%AA%92%E6%92%B0%E6%96%87%E5%B4%A9%E6%BD%B0%E7%8B%82%E5%97%86%E3%80%8C%E5%8F%B0%E7%8D%A8%E3%80%8D/ar-BB19q4MH?li=BBqiNIb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605125037/https://www.msn.com/zh-tw/news/national/%E5%A4%9A%E6%80%95%EF%BC%9F%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E6%A1%8C%E9%81%8A%E3%80%8A%E9%80%86%E7%B5%B1%E6%88%B0%E3%80%8B%E8%AE%93%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%98%E5%AA%92%E6%92%B0%E6%96%87%E5%B4%A9%E6%BD%B0%E7%8B%82%E5%97%86%E3%80%8C%E5%8F%B0%E7%8D%A8%E3%80%8D/ar-BB19q4MH?li=BBqiNIb |archive-date=2021-06-05 |access-date=2020-09-27 |publisher=MSN新聞 |agency=三立新聞網}}</ref> criticized the game of demolishing teenage growth. [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]] then responded by saying that their fate should not be decided by CCP and that freedom is assured, with the production team responded by "welcoming" such "opportunity".<ref>{{Cite news |last=黃順祥 |date=2020-09-26 |title=反共桌遊「逆統戰」遭中國官媒批台獨 設計團隊樂喊：我們終於被譴責了 |url=https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2020-09-26/470866 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430082217/https://newtalk.tw/news/view/2020-09-26/470866 |archive-date=2021-04-30 |access-date=2020-09-27 |publisher=Newtalk新聞}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Instagram|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CT1NYrul4eu/|website=www.instagram.com|access-date=2024-02-05}}</ref> Later, on April 5th of 2025, with the [[video game]] version being launched, the platform experienced a long term [[DDOS]] attack from unidentified sources, which was speculated to be from within [[Chinese Communist Party|Chinese]] authorities, causing the release to be put off.<ref>{{Cite web |last=逆統戰 Reversed Front |title=逆統戰 Reversed Front 的 threads |url=https://www.threads.net/@reversedfront/post/DIDaiNmPFZe?xmt=AQGzAA6AjzvuoL9aI-fYU1SLLl073bekVPHMiAVlU7asCg}}</ref>