TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An education fair sponsored by Taiwan at a university in Vietnam was forced to add the name of China to a banner at the event, reports said Tuesday (Oct. 17).

A large text on stage read “Introduction to Higher Education in China (Taiwan) 2023” in English, under the Vietnamese text which included the term “Taiwan (China),” CNA reported. The fair took place at Can Tho University near the Mekong Delta on Monday (Oct. 16).

It was the local government that insisted on the phrasing, threatening to ban the event if China was not mentioned, the report said. The Taiwan mission in Ho Chi Minh City lodged a protest and ordered the removal of the banner.

If the Vietnamese authorities failed to comply or a similar incident occurred again, Taiwan might not participate in an education fair again and end related exchanges, the mission said.

The Taiwan office was told Friday (Oct. 13) just before the end of the working day that the Can Tho University part of the five-day education tour of Vietnam would have to add the word “China” Monday morning. Due to practical considerations, as many Vietnamese participants in the fair had already booked airline tickets to travel to Can Tho, the office decided to go ahead with the new banner.

However, as soon as Monday’s opening ceremony finished, the mission ordered its education officials to remove it from the stage. While it is usual for state-controlled media in Vietnam to describe Taiwan as part of China, this event should have been different because it was entirely funded by Taiwan, the report said.