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Notes -
I do think the case of Taiwan is a pretty good example where using alternate terminology is just imprecise, and not more sophisticated.
Among the "main options" for positions to support:
The term "Taiwan" is probably the most neutral term, though it could indicate support for options 1, 2, 3, or 4? The term "Formosa" alone could indicate support for options 1, 2, or 4?? Saying "A/The (New) Republic of Formosa" is probably unambiguously supportive of option 4. The term "Republic of China" could indicate support for options 1 or 5? Lastly, "Chinese Taipei" could indicate support for options 1, 3, or 6?
If my intent is not to signal support for any specific opinion, I think Taiwan is the best name to use. And the problem with choosing to use things that imply too much is that they can be used to undercut other positions. If I could somehow enforce on everyone that they must call Taiwan “Republic of China” and especially if I could silence anyone who disagreed, it then becomes hard to make the case that we shouldn’t back Republic of China because you lack the ability to outright deny the independence claim. Ukraine, early on, used this to their advantage by insisting on the proper spelling (Kyiv over the Russian version of Kiev) using Ukraine over The Ukraine, insisting that the only correct way to refer to the war was the Russian invasion of Ukraine over other variants like Russia-Ukraine war. By doing this, it’s a lot harder to point out things that go against the narrative set out.
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