The European Parliament passed two Taiwan-friendly resolutions on Jan. 15 and reaffirmed its support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations. In a media interview, President Tsai referred to Taiwan as "Republic of China (Taiwan)." This has led to suspicions that she plans to change the official name of Taiwan and scholars are calling on Tsai to respect the constitution.


On the 15th, the European Parliament passed two Taiwan-friendly resolutions that reaffirmed its support for Taiwan's participation in global organizations while also addressing, for the first time, the issue of "foreign interferences from autocratic regimes through disinformation and cyber-attacks on the upcoming general elections" that threaten Asian democracies and regional stability.

We express our sincerest gratitude, and we will continue deepening mutual cooperation with the countries of Europe and our neighboring countries that share our ideals to jointly safeguard the value of democracy and freedom, and also work together to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.

The head of the European Parliament Taiwan Friendship Group, Michael Gahler, also congratulated Taiwan on its recent election, saying it allowed Europe to see that there can be democratic elections in Chinese society.

In an interview with the BBC, President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan is already an independent country that calls itself "Republic of China (Taiwan)." This led to criticism that Tsai is planning to change the status quo and the official name of Taiwan. One scholar is reminding Tsai that the official name of Taiwan under the constitution is "Republic of China."

The official name under the constitution is "Republic of China." There is no "Republic of China (Taiwan)." That is not the official name of any country. If you want to change the official name, you have to amend the constitution. There is a price to pay for that. You have to consider whether that will cause unnecessary difficulties down the line.

Chao Chun-shan says "Republic of China (Taiwan)" is not recognized by other countries and can only be uttered in informal settings. In addition, the official name of Taiwan cannot be changed without a constitutional amendment. Chao also said leaders shouldn't create international confusion. In response, the Presidential Office said the name "Republic of China (Taiwan)" has been used internationally for a long time already and called on Chao to stop his "totally ideological" and "intentionally confusing" accusations.



2020台灣大選結束，歐洲議會15號召開全體會議，表決通過歐盟「共同外交暨安全政策」及「共同安全暨防禦政策」，2項年度執行報告決議案，其中納入挺台條文，重申支持台灣參與國際組織，更首度提出對專制政權透過假訊息及網路攻擊，干擾大選破壞民主的憂心。

外交部發言人 歐江安表示：「我們表達我們由衷的感謝，我們也會持續地，跟歐洲的國家，以及理念相近的國家，我們會深化彼此的合作，共同捍衛民主自由的價值，以及一同來促進區域的和平、穩定、繁榮。」

歐洲議會友台小組主席凱勒，發言時也提到，台灣大選讓歐洲看到華人社會也能有民主選舉，祝賀台灣。在各國紛紛獻上祝賀時，蔡總統在第一時間，接受國際媒體BBC專訪，表示我們已經是一個獨立的國家，我們稱自己是"中華民國台灣"，不過卻被質疑，引發改變現狀的疑慮，有學者認為這是便宜行事，畢竟憲法的正式國名為中華民國。

淡江大學陸研所榮譽教授 趙春山表示：「按照憲法就是，我就是中華民國，沒有中華民國台灣，它不是一個國號，你要改國號，你要按照修憲，但是這樣做要付出代價，要考慮到會不會引起不必要的困擾。」

趙春山表示，中華民國台灣在非正式場合的口語可以說，但除非修憲，不然對外國名不應該改變，強調領導人不要造成國家認同混淆，總統府則回應，國際上以中華民國台灣稱呼早已行之有年，同時拿出前總統馬英九的照片證明，希望這種充滿意識形態與刻意混淆的指控，適可而止。