Taiwan protests move by SIA, Scoot to name island as part of China

Taiwan is protesting against a move by Singapore Airlines and budget carrier Scoot to name the island as part of China on their websites, in an apparent switch to comply with Beijing's recent demand to foreign airlines. China's aviation regulator in April gave dozens of airlines a May 25 deadline to remove references on their websites and in other material that suggest Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are countries independent of China. Beijing later extended the deadline to late June. While the White House has described the order as "Orwellian nonsense" and Taiwan has repeatedly condemned it as "bullying", several airlines have already made the change. They include Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Airways and Qantas. SIA and Scoot have likewise changed Taiwan's name on their websites to "Taiwan, China", prompting Taiwan to order its representative office in Singapore to lodge "stern representations" with the airlines, Central News Agency reported late on Tuesday.<br/>