We protest The Man Booker Foundation's decision to change the listing for the author Wu Ming-yi's country of origin from "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China."
Taiwan is not, and has never been, a part of the People's Republic of China. The decision to bow to pressure from the PRC government sets a dangerous precedent. Recently, Beijing has been asserting its claim on Taiwan through these seemingly minor gestures of pressuring corporations and organizations to list Taiwan as a province of China on their websites, that taken together are an attempt to impose Beijing's policy position on independent organizations around the world. The MB's decision legitimizes a policy position of the PRC that is not shared by the people of democratic Taiwan nor the author Wu Ming-yi. It signals a dangerous acquiescence into what The Man Booker International Prize celebrates as a space of ultimate freedom: the world of words.
We insist The Man Booker Foundation respectfully and correctly identify Wu Ming-yi's country as Taiwan.
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For more information:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/30/fury-man-booker-bows-pressure-list-taiwan-chinese-province/
