Taiwan scenes on mainland passport irks some islanders

Chinese mainland's policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged, a spokesman reaffirmed on Nov 28, after the mainland's new passport — which includes pictures of island landscapes — drew criticism from some islanders.

Yang Yi, spokesman of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, dismissed the speculation that the mainland is forcing Taiwan to accept things that it does not agree with, as he answered questions regarding the mainland's new e-passport.

The passports include on their watermark pages several pictures of Taiwan's scenic spots.

The Chinese mainland has issued the new e-passports, which include an embedded microchip, since May to improve security and prevent counterfeiting. Although the Chinese mainland has included Taiwan in its official maps for years, it is the first time that the island has been shown in its passports.

Yang said the mainland and Taiwan belong to the same China, and this status remains unchanged. He said he hopes both sides could cherish accomplishments that have been achieved in cross-Straits exchanges.

The 1992 Consensus, a fundamental agreement reached by the mainland and Taiwan 20 years ago, states that the two sides both recognize there is only one China, although each side can verbally express the meaning of one China according to its own interpretation.