Proposed Taiwan name change angers Beijing

Moves by Taiwan politicians to amend the island's constitution so it is known as "Republic of Taiwan" rather than "Republic of China" were strongly criticized by Beijing Wednesday. The legislation, which may be put forward by members of President Chen Shui-bian's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as early as next month, was dismissed by the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office as "splittist" and a threat to regional peace and stability, Reuters reported. Warning that any move to seek de jure independence could not be tolerated, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Li Weiyi said the proposed constitutional amendment demonstrates that Chen "has never had credibility and his political personality has gone completely bankrupt". The US spoke up for the "one China" policy on Monday, warning Chen that he was violating his commitments not to allow the constitutional reform process to encroach on sovereignty issues. Taiwan media reported that Chen's office said he was not violating any commitments.