On 5 April, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote an open letter to Dame Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), protesting the university’s decision to change Taiwan’s colour to match China’s on ‘The World Upside Down’ sculpture following pressure from Chinese students. Minister Wu emphasised that Taiwan is a sovereign democratic country, not part of any other, with its own democratically elected president and parliament. The minister also pointed out that LSE has inspired many Taiwanese in the pursuit of academic excellence, including President Tsai Ing-wen. Minister Wu stressed that changing the sculpture would lead many to believe that LSE bows to the pressure and bullying of Beijing, adding that as an academic institution, LSE’s decision should be about what is true and what is right. “The truth is that Taiwan is a proud democracy, not part of autocratic China, and Taiwan’s people have over and over again revealed their desire to maintain this status.” The letter concluded by urging LSE not to change the original depiction of Taiwan on the sculpture.
Lord Rogan and Nigel Evans MP, Co-Chairs of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, also wrote a joint letter to LSE pointing out that changing Taiwan’s designation on the sculpture was not only erroneous but also contrary to the UK Government’s longstanding policy to refer to Taiwan as simply “Taiwan”. The UK parliamentarians urged LSE to reconsider its decision “in order to maintain accuracy, prevent political interference and safeguard our shared values of freedom of speech and expression.”
