Taiwan’s parliament passes proposal to rebrand China Airlines

Transport ministry ‘should make CAL more identifiable internationally … to protect Taiwan’s national interests’, lawmakers say

China Airlines (CAL) is frequently mistaken for Air China – the mainland’s national carrier

Reading Time:1 minute

Taiwan’s lawmakers have approved a proposal to rebrand the island’s carrier. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:00pm, 22 Jul 2020Updated: 6:00pm, 22 Jul 2020

Taiwan’s parliament has passed a proposal to rebrand the island’s largest airline to avoid confusion with carriers on the Chinese mainland.

China Airlines (CAL) is frequently mistaken for Air China – the mainland’s national carrier – and there have long been calls to rename it or make it more clearly Taiwanese. But the movement received fresh impetus during the coronavirus pandemic, which Taiwan has successfully tackled.

The self-ruled island has sent medical aid overseas as a diplomatic gesture of goodwill, often aboard China Airlines aircraft, sparking some confusion over where the shipments had come from.

On Wednesday, lawmakers approved a proposal asking the transport ministry to come up with both short- and long-term rebranding plans for the carrier, which is partly government-owned.

“The ministry should make CAL more identifiable internationally with Taiwanese images to protect Taiwan’s national interests as overseas it is mistaken for a Chinese airline,” parliament speaker Yu Shyi-kun said while reading out the proposal.

The motion did not set a timeline for when the airline should be eventually renamed, saying it would require further discussion.