Taiwan to skip WTO conference after labelled 'Province of China'

Taiwan released a statement today that it will skip for the first time a high-level World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cameroon following a dispute with the host nation over the name used for the island in visa documents.



The Taiwanese foreign ministry said it had lodged a "stern protest" after Cameroon designated the island "Taiwan, Province of China" in paperwork issued to Taiwan's delegation before it departed for the Mar 26 to Mar 29 event.



Cameroon then granted members of the group a "visa exemption", but the document did not mention their nationality, misspelt some English names and identified almost all of them as female, the ministry said in a statement, noting it was clear that the central African country "had no sincere intention of resolving the issue".



China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and opposed the designations "Taiwan" or "Republic of China", its official name at global forums.