TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on August 9 that they will support a group of Taiwanese students who plan to take the Norwegian government to court, for labeling them as "Chinese" nationals on their residence permit.

The students are upset because their immigration documents describe their home country as "China," leading to a lawsuit initiated by the students. The lawsuit is Taiwanese student named Joseph, who previously worked as a solicitor in Taiwan.

The label change appears to be a new phenomenon, with immigration documents in early 2017 describing Taiwanese students as being from "Taiwan." The lawsuit argues that being labeled as "Chinese" citizens infringes upon their rights, as stipulated under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Taiwan News argued on June 1 that Norway's mislabeling of Taiwanese citizens goes against the covenant, and the covenant calls for the error to be resolved to the best of Norway's ability.

Taiwan MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said that the ministry was in talks with the Norwegian government in regards to the fiasco, via its representative office in Sweden, reported CNA.

Lee urged the Norwegian government to amend the mistake as soon as possible, and also showed appreciation for the student's defense of Taiwan's dignity and status through appropriate means.

The students have successfully set up a crowdfunding website, which has already exceeded its goal of raising NT$1,224,760 (US$40,500) to help cover legal costs.