“What is Taiwan ’s highest mountain?” This seemingly harmless question has caused a public controversy in Taiwan, a country where geography and politics are deeply entwined. On June 11, Chen Qineng ( é³åč½ ), a lawmaker of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) , asked Eric Chu ( ę±ē«å« ), the incumbent mayor of New Taipei City and Chairman of the Guomindang , an apparently simple question: “What is Taiwan ’s highest mountain?” “Taiwan’s highest mountain is Yushan ,” answered Eric Chu. “But according to the Constitution," he added, "the country’s highest mountains are the Himalayas .” Chen Qineng’s question was not trivial. Its purpose was to make Eric Chu reveal his view on the controversial issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty . Taiwan is officially known as the Republic of China (ROC) , a state that in theory still claims to be the legitimate government of China. Chen insisted. “We are talking about the Republic of China on Taiwan.” Eric Chu reaff