Taiwan protests over new mainland passports

Taiwan yesterday protested against the mainland for printing maps and pictures of the island in its new passports, calling their inclusion not only provocative but harmful to cross-strait relations.

President Ma Ying-jeou also urged Beijing to refrain from upsetting the hard-won peace and stability between the two sides.

The Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top mainland policy planning body, said two scenic spots - Sun Moon Lake and Clear Water Cliff - pictured inside the new passports were part of the "Republic of China territory not under the jurisdiction of the mainland".

"Inclusion of our territory and pictures of our scenic spots … is a provocative act that would not only damage the mutual trust steadfastly established by our two sides in recent years, but also hurt the feelings of the 23 million people in Taiwan," the council said.

The new 10-year passports carry pictures of the two highly popular Taiwanese tourist attractions along with the maps featuring a "nine-dash line" that designates a large part of the South China Sea as mainland territory.

The nine dashes enclose the disputed Spratly Islands, thought to be rich in undersea oil and other resources and claimed in part or wholly by the mainland, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.