Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06TAIPEI963
2006-03-23 01:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:
CHINA AIRLINES CHANGES NAME AND LOGO ON
how-toVZCZCXRO8693 RR RUEHCN DE RUEHIN #0963 0820125 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 230125Z MAR 06 FM AIT TAIPEI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9274 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4944 RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 6401 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 7560 RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1136 RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9137 RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6140 RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8528 RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5085 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON DC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 000963
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/TC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016
TAGS: EAIR PREL CH TW
SUBJECT: CHINA AIRLINES CHANGES NAME AND LOGO ON
PRESIDENT'S PLANE
Classified By: AIT Deputy Director David J. Keegan, Reason 1.4 b
C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 000963
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/TC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016
TAGS: EAIR PREL CH TW
SUBJECT: CHINA AIRLINES CHANGES NAME AND LOGO ON
PRESIDENT'S PLANE
Classified By: AIT Deputy Director David J. Keegan, Reason 1.4 b
1. (U) China Airlines confirmed on March 21 that it would
repaint one of its Airbus A340 planes with the name and
logo of its fully-owned subsidiary Mandarin Airlines.
According to media reports, President Chen Shui-bian will
use the A340 on his May trip to Costa Rica to attend the
presidential inauguration there. The decision has been
portrayed in the press both as an effort to acknowledge
Chen's support for "de-sinization" of China Airlines' name,
and a possible first step toward a name change.
2. (U) China Airlines executives have insisted to the media
that the decision to repaint the plane is based entirely on
commercial interests. They have described it as part of an
effort to raise the profile of Mandarin Airlines and claim
that the plane will allow the two airlines to cooperate
more closely. One executive told the press that the plane
would be used to supplement Mandarin's insufficient
capacity on its Taipei-Hong Kong and Kaohsiung-Hong Kong
routes.
3. (C) Comment: We believe that China Airlines will
continue to resist calls to change its name. It has
reiterated many of the obstacles to such a change. In
addition to the name recognition that the China Airlines
brand already enjoys, the airline has also emphasized the
risk of losing some international routes. The risk is
particularly high for the airline's most profitable route,
the Taipei-Hong Kong "golden" route. Under pressure from
the PRC, Hong Kong might prevent a newly-named "Taiwan
Airlines" from taking over the China Airlines routes.
Comments about raising the profile of Mandarin Airlines
could signal the start of a new strategy to gradually
increase marketing of the subsidiary brand with the
possibility of a future merger under the Mandarin Airlines
name. However, "deep green" pro-independence supporters
are likely to object to the Mandarin Airlines (hua xin hang
kong gong si) name, with its strong overtones of Chinese
cultural identity, almost as strongly as to China Airlines
(zhong hua hang kong gong si). End comment.
YOUNG
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EAP/TC
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/22/2016
TAGS: EAIR PREL CH TW
SUBJECT: CHINA AIRLINES CHANGES NAME AND LOGO ON
PRESIDENT'S PLANE
Classified By: AIT Deputy Director David J. Keegan, Reason 1.4 b
1. (U) China Airlines confirmed on March 21 that it would
repaint one of its Airbus A340 planes with the name and
logo of its fully-owned subsidiary Mandarin Airlines.
According to media reports, President Chen Shui-bian will
use the A340 on his May trip to Costa Rica to attend the
presidential inauguration there. The decision has been
portrayed in the press both as an effort to acknowledge
Chen's support for "de-sinization" of China Airlines' name,
and a possible first step toward a name change.
2. (U) China Airlines executives have insisted to the media
that the decision to repaint the plane is based entirely on
commercial interests. They have described it as part of an
effort to raise the profile of Mandarin Airlines and claim
that the plane will allow the two airlines to cooperate
more closely. One executive told the press that the plane
would be used to supplement Mandarin's insufficient
capacity on its Taipei-Hong Kong and Kaohsiung-Hong Kong
routes.
3. (C) Comment: We believe that China Airlines will
continue to resist calls to change its name. It has
reiterated many of the obstacles to such a change. In
addition to the name recognition that the China Airlines
brand already enjoys, the airline has also emphasized the
risk of losing some international routes. The risk is
particularly high for the airline's most profitable route,
the Taipei-Hong Kong "golden" route. Under pressure from
the PRC, Hong Kong might prevent a newly-named "Taiwan
Airlines" from taking over the China Airlines routes.
Comments about raising the profile of Mandarin Airlines
could signal the start of a new strategy to gradually
increase marketing of the subsidiary brand with the
possibility of a future merger under the Mandarin Airlines
name. However, "deep green" pro-independence supporters
are likely to object to the Mandarin Airlines (hua xin hang
kong gong si) name, with its strong overtones of Chinese
cultural identity, almost as strongly as to China Airlines
(zhong hua hang kong gong si). End comment.
YOUNG