Taipei, MARCH 22, SPA -- Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Thursdaydemanded that the island's steel giant, China Steel Corp, change itsname to avoid being confused as a company of the island's politicalrival China, REPORTED DPA. "It is highly necessary for CSC to change its title to avoidmisunderstanding that it is a Chinese company," said President ChenShui-bian during a ceremony held in the southern city of Kaohsiung bythe steelmaker to launch a new production line. He said while China Shipbuilding Co already changed its nameearlier this month to Taiwan CSBC Corp, it seems "odd" for thesteelmaker to continue to use the "China" reference, especially whenthe shipbuilder is just located nearby. Since this year Chen has actively promoted a so-called "namerectification" campaign to distance the island from China and assertthe Taiwanese identity. He has so far made China Post Company, China Shipbuilding Corp,and Chinese Petroleum Corporation drop their "China" reference andchange their titles. Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, butBeijing still regards Taiwan as an integral part of the mainland thatmust be brought back to its fold, if necessary by force. The "China" reference was brought to Taiwan by the formerNationalist or Kuomintang government, whose late leader ChiangKai-shek once ruled China until after he was defeated by the ChineseCommunists and fled to the island where it set up an interimgovernment, hoping to recover the mainland one day. But Chen, of the pro-independence ruling Democratic ProgressiveParty, has considered the island an independent state, despiterepeated warnings by Beijing that it would send forces to attack ifthe island formally declares independence. China Steel later said it would seriously consider the namechange, but because it is a privatized company, it needs approvalfrom all shareholders. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/434667