The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, which maintains an interactive map tracking the number of coronavirus cases worldwide, has changed how it refers to Taiwan, Axios has learned. Instead of “Taiwan,” the map now uses “Taipei and environs.”
Why it matters: The change tracks closely with how the Chinese government prefers to refer to Taiwan, which it views as part of Chinese territory.
Screenshots from early February show that the JHU coronavirus map still used “Taiwan” as a category under a section called “Confirmed cases by country/region.”
But now the map uses “Taipei and environs,” referring to Taiwan’s capital city and surrounding areas.
What they’re saying: When contacted by Axios, Lauren Gardner, an associate professor of civil and systems engineering at JHU who directs the map project, said that they had just caught the change and would be changing it back to “Taiwan” immediately.
Good!!
They got called out on it....some lefty employee likely altered the name.
Many of the US airlines changed the name of Taiwan, in their systems, too.