Taiwan lawmakers seek to remove references to Chinese unity from constitution

Pro-independence lawmakers in Taiwan have repeated calls to change the emblem and flag and revise the constitution to remove references to unification with mainland China.

At a session of the legislature on Monday, members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party called on the government to push for the change, saying it was necessary if Taiwan was to become a “normalised country”, but the opposition dismissed the move as a provocation.

The move is unlikely to succeed because of the difficulty in changing the constitution, but it reflects consistent efforts by supporters of independence to change the status quo.

DPP lawmaker Chen Ting-fei, a supporter of the change, argued the constitution was out of date, saying: “Our constitution actually reflects a Greater China mentality and our so-called territory does not reflect our reality – that our jurisdiction only extends to Taiwan, Kinmen, Penghu and Matsu, but not China and even Mongolia.”

Chen, along with 57 other legislators, including members of the DPP, New Power Party and Taiwan Statebuilding Party, endorsed a proposal to change the island’s emblem and anthem, saying they were associated with the opposition Kuomintang.