July 18, 2005

Masami Tanaka, President                                                              
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
1, rue de Varembé, Case postale 56
CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland

Dear Mr. Tanaka:

I write to you today to express my serious concern about the ISO 3166-1standard which lists Taiwan as a province of China. This issue has caused strong feelings on the part of Taiwanese around the world. I therefore urge you strongly to correct this factual error.

I understand that ISO seeks to stay politically neutral and uses UN sources when developing the ISO standard 3166-1. As stated in the FAQ section on your ISO website, "the printed edition of the [U.N.] publication Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use gives the name we use in ISO 3166-1."  However, I would like to point out that the UN Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use does not list Taiwan at all - let alone lists Taiwan as a "province of China." (See: the on-line version of the Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use on the UN website. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm) Moreover, the FAQ section from your website adds that, "since Taiwan is not a UN member it does not figure in the UN bulletin on country names." Thus, there is no source for the use of such misinformed
labeling as "Taiwan, Province of China."

In addition to the validity of the source the ISO uses when referring to Taiwan, we would also like to point out that it is incontestable reality that Taiwan is not a part of China. All this, despite China's political claims to the contrary. Taiwan is a de facto sovereign nation
that democratically elects its own president and government officials. The Communist government in China has never exercised any jurisdiction over Taiwan since it was established in 1949. If the ISO intends to stay politically neutral, as it prides itself of, labeling Taiwan as a province of China, simply because China says so, would constitute a double standard.

I urge the ISO to revise the 3166-1 standard and eliminate the term "Province of China" from its listing of Taiwan.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

                            Cordially yours,
                       
                            Dr. Ming-chi Wu, Ph.D., President
                            Formosan Association for Public Affairs