Taiwan grateful to United Airlines for imaginative website solution to ‘one China’ rule
Currency and destination names changed on carrier’s site in ‘flexible workaround’
Taiwan has expressed gratitude to United Airlines for finding an unusual way to “differentiate” the island from mainland China while complying with Beijing’s “one China” demand.
Ticket bookers can now see “New Taiwan Dollar”, “Chinese Yuan” and “Hong Kong Dollar” listed among destination names such as “Australia”, “India” and “Japan” when looking for currency and payment options on the company’s official website.
The third-largest US airline removed Taiwan, China and Hong Kong as country or region names last month, ahead of a deadline imposed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory, or “one China”, awaiting reunification – by force if necessary – even though the island views itself as a sovereign nation and is a self-ruling democracy.
US airlines make concessions on Beijing’s demand to refer to Taiwan as part of China
Taiwanese foreign ministry spokesman Li Hsien-chang thanked the airline for its “flexibility” in using currency names to obscure its position on “one China” or “Taiwan independence”.
