Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou wants to change the common practice in Taiwan of calling the other side of the Taiwan Strait China in favor of the term “the mainland,” a ruling Kuomintang (KMT) legislator said Monday.

According to Hsieh Kuo-liang, secretary-general of the KMT’s legislative caucus, Ma made the suggestion at a tea party with leading government and legislative officials earlier that same day.

Hsieh quoted Ma as saying that under the principle of “one China, free interpretations” — a tacit understanding between Taiwan and China that there is only one China, with each side free to interpret the definition as they see fit — Taiwan should not refer to China by its name but instead should call it “the mainland” or simply “the other side.”

Taiwan’s official title is the Republic of China (ROC) , but the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the other side of the Taiwan Strait has never officially recognized the ROC.

The ROC was founded in 1912 in China, but fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the Chinese communists. The PRC was established later that year.

The habit in Taiwan of calling the other side of the strait “China” was formed during the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP’s) eight years in power from 2000 to 2008, because the DPP aimed to stress Taiwan’s existence as separate from China.

Ma asked government officials to be more cautious when referring to China, whether verbally or in written documents, according to Hsieh. (By Chou Yung-chieh, Justin Su and S.C. Chang) ENDITEM/J

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