Oct. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., the most-used Internet search engine, said its description of Taiwan as a province of China is consistent with international naming conventions such as those followed by the United Nations.

Google faces protests from Taiwan's government because of the description, which is used on its map service. The island's foreign ministry has instructed its U.S. representative office to ask Google to correct the listing, said David Wang, a deputy- director general at the ministry in Taipei.

``We rely on international naming conventions to find a consistent policy,'' said Debbie Frost, a spokeswoman for the Mountain View, California-based company. Frost declined to comment on whether Google would consider changing the items.

Google doesn't yet have any operations in China but plans to open a research center in Beijing soon, Frost said.

Taiwan has repeatedly sought entry to the United Nations, which recognizes China's sovereignty over the island. China, which has diplomatic ties with far more countries than Taiwan, considers the island a renegade province that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

``We hope Google will respect the fact that Taiwan is an independent state and not a province of China,'' Wang said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katy Chang in Taipei at Kchang15@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 5, 2005 00:32 EDT