Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lin Wei-chou on July 22, 2017, described Beijing’s guidelines banning Chinese media from using the name “Republic of China (ROC)” — Taiwan’s official title — as “overkill.”He said “The ROC’s existence is an established fact... If even the term ‘ROC’ is to be censored, I doubt there is a better way [to refer to the nation].” In a move intended to increase pressure on Taiwan, China’s official Xinhua news agency published a set of guidelines for Chinese media when referring to Taiwanese authorities, including a ban on using the Taiwanese version of the so-called “1992 consensus.” The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. The Xinhua list also bans Chinese media from using the term “president/vice president of the ROC,” instead instructing them to use “leader/deputy leader of the Taiwan authorities.” It forbids the Chinese media from saying “Taiwan presidential election”,requiring them to describe such events as “leadership elections in the Taiwan area” or “Taiwan’s general election.” The use of the phrase “Taiwan government” is not allowed and neither are references to Taiwanese governmental agencies at the “national” or “central government” level. 

Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister and spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) on Thursday urged the Chinese media to “fully report reality and respect the fact that the ROC exists.” He said “Beijing is suppressing and manipulating freedom of the press and severely restricting the rights of Chinese.” “Such a policy reflects the Chinese leadership’s intransigent thinking and inclination to create an impasse, which will widen the knowledge gap between Taiwan and China and deter mutual understanding.”