You have hurt the feelings of the mighty Adogah Minzu! We are a venerable tribe known for singing, dancing, and drunkenness.
No it’s not illegal and used often in the media too ! example: http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0219-border-scan-20160219-story.html
That being said, best way is being called by your name or nickname as many locals do, or in my case "“Boss”, in Chinese is normal which I think is good, in English is bit strange to be called this in non Asian country…
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For me, it’s the unnecessary use of the word weiguoren in situations where it isn’t necessary.
At bank , she calls up customer service, says a foreigner wants to speak about… Yes…He speaks a little Chinese…
It’s like the status of the person must be confirmed as a foreigner… My foreign friend… etc
It is considered a media faux pas, at least, not to say downright liable, to identify an individual as per race or nationality in a context not relevant.
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Non-white people in the US by and large involved in incidents in the media are not referred to as ‘foreigners’. Even a naturalized Caucasian Taiwanese, of which there are a sad few, will always and always are called ‘foreigners’. Gabish?
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“一名34歲有台灣身分證的外國男子” I can already imagine this as an entry to a news report on the Apple Daily website 
I didn’t know that. Race or nationality is a faux pas.
Then, how about age, gender, occupation, etc? #off topic
Its not illegal, but if the media want to point out the person of interest (and they don’t always point out this) is of foreign origin they call them 'non national '.
If they talking about census data they will also use this term.
To me it means the same as foreigner but it’s a less obvious emphasis on foreignness or origin. Maybe you could be born in the country but not a national yet etc.
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I don’t like these terms in general they are divisive and lazy. They teach people a very limited view of the world.
Some of my colleagues refer to my colleagues based in other countries as ‘ne ge laowai’ and don’t make an attempt to refer to their name or position. I’m not their boss but I would put a stop to that if I was.
At the end of the day a non ethnic taiwanese (oh let’s say caucasion race for shits and giggles) can live here for 100 years have a passport have president tsai formally announce to the country that you are a bonafide taiwanese citizen but you are STILL a foreigner in every sense.
Whereas in the West a non white can cut the head off a passenger on the bus but the media will not dare call that person a foreigner if that person is a citizen of that country (ie. has a passport, regardless of race)
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Like here, where they print the person’s address and or show his/her abode/workplace? Eh nope. Not unless they wanna risk being sued.
Is kinda popular these days to call a racist someone who is not political correct. Is actually very dissrespectful.
Depends with who you compare taiwan with it. Yea is way better than in many asian countries. Maybe is best what asia has, could be indeed. But way worse comparing to europe or usa
Taiwanese will watch you precisely when you are white, media will allways put any white face on media as soon guy start acting a bit violent like yellin when being drunk. Bunch of taiwanese believe we came to island for drinkin and to catch “their” girls while many of us came from better, more devolped countries. While taiwanese guys bought like a million( or what) brides from south east asia, they are annoyed with few taiwanese girls having foreigners. So taiwan has a few drunkers troublemakers from west while our homeland countries arrested couple of thousands taiwanese involved in criminal activities (phone frauds).
West helped taiwan a tone in the past, in the end they are millions of taiwanese with western passport (including you), and maybe couple 100 caucasians with taiwanese passport ( which government can take away anytime ROC authorites decides so). There was a law accepted last year to allow double citizenship and many people were like wow so nice, lets do it and all of em got rejected. ROC just gave passport to dying priests. It turned out Vatican has started to talk to China this year and obv ROC moves was just a kiss to Vatican ass. They do not wanna white foreigners in Taiwan long term. Is simple reality.
So now you tell me where is racism? Lets stop wit this political correctness and just tell me where is racism?
I often went around taiwan with mainland friends and treatment we got from locals was just nicely put it sad…
Imigrants in west just a word about em
… muslims building mosques, chinese having their china towns, buying all properties in down town pushing prices up and turning high schools in nightmaee competition game for everyone.
Yet in taiwan i should feel colletive guilt cause one random guy is drunk on friday and he draws a graffiti. Give me a break.
I did voluntarily work in taiwan as well. But will not join some expat community just to try to convince locals how nice we foreigners are. Give me a break.
Sure i adjust to locals when am travelling, but long term moving somewhere else… well i will keep my culture and way of living… same as imigrants do in west. I think is fair and reasonible.
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There seems to be influx of miserable people here on here huh. Life here as an immigrant has its struggles like every other country. Is Taiwan perfect, nah, I haven’t found one country that is. I do enjoy life here and other places I lived for some reasons and disliked it for other reasons.
Are we immigrants? I thought immigrants eventually get citizenship? How dare you call anyone miserable if you haven’t experienced living in a country without attaining citizenship or equality. How would you know?
And you think I’m the type of person with the position that you have a problem with?
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No. I’m wrong
I can’t speak for everyone else, but just as I don’t expect you to be responsible for the actions or thoughts of one individual non native Taiwanese person here, I ask you don’t group me in with people I don’t share the same opinions with or even try to make me feel some sort of guilt because I do hold dual citizenship.
I was a foreigner once, my mother is a foreign spouse to Taiwan and my gf is a foreigner, and many of my friends and colleagues that I’ve worked with are also non native Taiwanese. So I’m aware of some of the challenges people face here although yes, I can maybe never truly feel what you feel. But I’m certainly not against you in any way.
You got it pal. I was clearly in the wrong
is it worse? From the view point of westerners, it may be worse. I’m Asian, and feel it is just culturally different from the western way.
it’s just because most of Caucasians don’t want to lose their original passports. Once the first generations get Taiwanese passports, their descendants are allowed to have dual nationality.
It is not just in Taiwan that people belonging to a specific racial group have to feel collective guilt.
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Yea as well in India and Saudia Arabia people feel tight belonging to their group and collective awarness/guilt.
My lovely taiwanese no need to be offended!
Did not I say taiwan is one of best what asia has?