A discussion has happened on social media as well as in the Legislative Yuan about the name of "China Airlines" being changed after it delivered millions of face masks to countries around the world. Some say the word "China" on the aircraft may lead some people to believe the aid comes from China.


Premier Su Tseng-chang headed to the legislature for an interpellation on April 14. Taiwan has been actively engaged in face mask diplomacy recently, hoping to curry favor with other countries. It is presently using China Airlines flights to deliver the masks around the world. There are concerns coming out of Taiwan that foreigners will think the words "China Airlines" on aircraft livery refer to China and lead them to conclude that China is granting this aid, and therefore some are calling for a name change.

I will order the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to inform China Airlines our flag needs to be present during future deliveries of supplies. Our flag carrier symbolizes Taiwan, so this is something that we need to really work on.

When the international community sees "China Airlines" when these masks arrive in Frankfurt and every corner of the world, it'll believe these masks are made in China.

Changing the name of China Airlines will result in international air rights issues. Several legislators say the airline is an international civil aviation company, and a name change announcement will cause political problems. They added the International Civil Aviation Organization will make things difficult for Taiwan because it favors China.

The ICAO is an organization that is even more pro-China than the WHO.

I respect China Airlines, nothing more. Our executive branch, including the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, has numerous ways that it is dealing with it.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin I-chin and others have launched a petition demanding that the government immediately change the translated official name to "Taiwan" or "Chunghwa."

I think what the Democratic Progressive Party wants to do is amend the constitution and directly change the official name to the Republic of Taiwan. (The DPP's) independence party platform demands this. What's the point of beating around the bush, pretending otherwise, and just going around in circles?

The legislature is currently revising a draft bill that adds NT$150 billion in financial relief, and this issue is being discussed within parties. On April 13, the Kuomintang proposed NT$100 billion in cash handouts, but other parties have not agreed yet.



行政院長蘇貞昌到立法院進行總質詢，面對近來台灣積極做口罩外交，用中華航空口罩運送到世界各國時，機身上寫的是「China Airlines」，容易引起國際誤解是中國援助，近日引起華航是否改名爭議?

行政院長 蘇貞昌表示：「（要求)交通部告知華航，以後運送物資的時候，上面有我們的國旗，我們國家航空公司標誌台灣，這確實是應該要努力來做的事。」

時代力量立委 邱顯智表示：「這樣的口罩，當它抵達法蘭克福，抵達世界角落的時候，看到華航China Airlines的時候，國際社會還以為，這些口罩是中國做的。」

不過華航改名也涉及國際航權問題，有立委認為，華航是國際民航公司，改名宣示也涉及政治問題，國際民航組織ICAO偏袒中國，勢必刁難。

台灣基進黨立委 陳柏惟表示：「所以ICAO是一個比WHO，更偏袒中國的一個組織。」

民進黨團幹事長 鄭運鵬表示：「尊重華航而已，我們行政部門，包含交通部，他們有各種方式在處理。」

民進黨立委林宜瑾等人提案連署，認為政府應立即變更台灣對外翻譯國名，稱為Taiwan或Chunghwa。

國民黨立委 鄭麗文表示：「我也覺得民進黨，應該要修憲，直接把國號，改成台灣共和國 。（民進黨)台獨黨綱規定就是這樣，何必拐彎抹角，遮遮掩掩，繞來繞去。」

立法院針對追加1,500億的紓困條例追加預算修正草案，進行黨團協商，不過週一國民黨提案應該發千億現金，尚未獲得共識。