Taiwanese bird group blames political pressure from Beijing for ejection from global network

Chinese Wild Bird Federation ousted from BirdLife International after refusing to sign a statement saying it would never advocate for Taiwan’s independence from mainland China

It is ‘very sad that practical cross-strait relationships – focused purely on conservation – will be damaged by this geopolitical bullying’, British bird guide working in Taiwan says

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The bird group said it was told that its Chinese name, which contains Taiwan’s official title, “posed a risk” to BirdLife International. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:50pm, 15 Sep 2020Updated: 10:04pm, 15 Sep 2020

A Taiwanese bird protection group says it has been kicked out of BirdLife International – a global conservation partnership – after refusing to sign a statement saying it would never advocate for the island’s independence from China.

The incident is the latest illustration of how businesses, charities and other organisations in Taiwan find themselves frozen out of international bodies because of pressure by Beijing.

The Taipei-based Chinese Wild Bird Federation (CWBF) said BirdLife International voted last week to remove it, ending a partnership that had been in place since 1996.

CWBF said it was told that its Chinese name, which contains Taiwan’s official title the Republic of China, “posed a risk” to BirdLife, which is based in Britain.

The group, which had previously changed its English name to satisfy BirdLife, said it had been willing to accommodate further amendments, but was told to sign a document “formally committing to not promote or advocate the legitimacy of the Republic of China or the independence of Taiwan from China”.

CWBF said it had no stance on the matter, but that signing such a document would itself be a political act.