The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the U.S. listed Taiwan as “Chinese Taipei” in a list of countries that were warned of a possible tsunami generated by a strong earthquake in Chile, said opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling.

The U.S. had never before used the “Chinese Taipei” moniker in official documents and U.S. leaders have never used such a term in dialogues with their Chinese counterparts, the lawmaker said.

Describing the U.S. move as “a big change and a serious warning,” Kuan criticized Taiwan's foreign ministry and other government agencies for failing to ask for a correction immediately.