Taiwan Protests 'Chinese Province' Label and to Skip WTO Meeting in Cameroon

Taiwan will skip the World Trade Organization (WTO) high-level meeting in Cameroon for the first time. Taiwan is protesting against the host country regarding the name used for the democratic island in visa documents.

According to AFP on Tuesday (24/3/2026), Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it has lodged a “strong protest” after Cameroon referred to the island as “Taiwan, Province of China” in documents issued to the Taiwanese delegation before departing for the event scheduled from 26-29 March.

Cameroon subsequently granted a “visa exemption” to the group members, but the documents did not mention their nationality, misspelled several English names, and identified nearly all of them as female, the ministry said in a statement, noting that the Central African country “clearly has no sincere intention to resolve the issue.”

China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory and has sought to erase the self-governing island from the international stage by blocking or hindering its access to global forums, and opposing the designations “Taiwan” or “Republic of China,” its official name.

“Given that our delegation members may face obstacles if they attempt to enter Cameroon with documents full of incorrect information, and to uphold our national dignity, we have no choice but to absent ourselves,” the ministry stated.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that our country joined the WTO as a ‘separate customs territory’ not subject to other members, and that our equal right to participate must not be violated.”

Previously, the ministry accused Cameroon of “succumbing to China.” The WTO declined to comment.

Taiwan joined the WTO in 2002, shortly after China, and its official name in the organisation is “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu (Chinese Taipei).”

The WTO Ministerial Conference, the organisation’s highest decision-making body, will take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. The conference is usually held every two years.