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Updated Friday, July 25, 2008 0:00 am TWN, The China Post news staff Taiwan insists on ‘Chinese Taipei’Tai Shia-ling, minister of the Sports Affairs Council, said Taiwan’s athletes will certainly withdraw from the games if the Beijing Olympics officials refer to the Taiwan Olympic team as “Zhongguo Taipei,” which means “Taipei, China” and implies that Taiwan is part of China, in Olympic competition events. She made the remarks during a second Cabinet meeting on Taiwan’s contingency response if China should attempt to downgrade Taiwan’s status during the Olympic games by referring to the Taiwan Olympic team as “Zhongguo Taipei” instead of “Chunghua Taipei,” which means “Chinese Taipei.” Based on a protocol signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Taiwan has been participating in international sports events under the English title “Chinese Taipei” since 1981, due to pressure of from China. Tai continued that according to a pact inked between both sides of the Taiwan Strait in Hong Kong in 1989, all sports teams or organizations representing Taiwan will follow IOC regulations when attending sports events in China. Both sides also agreed that Taiwan would be referred to as “Chunghua Taipei” in Chinese characters, or “Chinese Taipei” in English, in any of the Olympic Games’ publications or public information materials such as brochures, invitation letters, athletic badges and media broadcasts. In the Olympic standings, the Chinese Taipei team uses the initials “TPE,” with the Republic of China’s National Banner Song as its team song, according to Tai. She explained that if a Taiwan athlete wins a gold medal, the host authorities should play the Republic of China’s National Banner Song while the “Chinese Taipei” flag is being raised. Tai stressed that both the Sports Affairs Council and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee will launch protests on the spot if Beijing Olympic fails to do that. Meanwhile, officials with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) noted yesterday that they’re glad to learn that the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council said that they would follow the 1989 agreement and refer to the Taiwan team as “Chinese Taipei” in the Olympic competition events. But MAC officials also regretted that mainland Chinese news media would continue using “Taipei, China” to represent the Olympic team from Taiwan, saying that they would continue to negotiate with the Taiwan Affairs Office to work out optimal solutions. In related news, Lawmaker Chang Hua-kuan of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called for Lai Hsing-yuan, minister of the MAC to step down if the Central Chinese Television shows “Zhongguo Taipei” in Chinese characters on its screen during the Beijing Olympic Games. Comments March 23, 2009 jbradley@ Reply I don't understand why they aren't just called "Taiwan." March 23, 2009 spankee888@ Politics entering sports world, its hell of a game. March 23, 2009 russell@ jbradley@ wrote: Because THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA WILL RISE AGAIN!I don't understand why they aren't just called "Taiwan." March 24, 2009 tobacco_road.rock@ jbradley@ wrote: Because China will be humiliated if they lose to a country called TAIWAN.I don't understand why they aren't just called "Taiwan." March 25, 2009 myatthwin62@ These stubborn, die-hard separatists/secessionists! They speak Chinese or Min Nan Hua (both Chinese), have Chinese names, write in Chinese and THEY ARE NOT CHINESE? April 18, 2009 aznsim@ myatthwin62@ wrote: Because the so called "Taiwan" is not a country, it is rightfully part of China.These stubborn, die-hard separatists/secessionists! They speak Chinese or Min Nan Hua (both Chinese), have Chinese names, write in Chinese and THEY ARE NOT CHINESE? CHINESE REUNIFICATION IS THE ANSWER. April 18, 2009 aznsim@ jbradley@ wrote: Again, "Taiwan" is NOT A COUNTRY. NOR WILL IT EVER BE. IT IS RIGHTFULLY PART OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, or just, CHINA.I don't understand why they aren't just called "Taiwan." Please! The REAL Taiwanese are the natives. The CHINESE people who live there now are only there because they ran away from China, due to the fact that they can't accept that they lost the Chinese Civil War. They're ALL CHINESE. ETHNICALLY AND FOREVER WILL BE, *CHINESE*. May 18, 2009 rodney0923@ White Australians, Americans and Canadians were ethically British and u don’t see UK complaining about anything. Chinese-Taiwanese people ran away from the mainland for many reasons ......to escape communism, have freedom of speech and enjoy human rights. We moved away from the Mainland, and chose to live a new life. So leave us alone u communist freaks!!!!!!!!!!! Leave everything as it is, so we can get on with our lives. May 19, 2009 Mikenij@ The word "Chinese" itself is a confusing term to use. It can be used to describe a group of people with the similar ethnic background or it can be used to describe the citizens of Peoples Republic of China. If people with the same ethnic background should be grouped into one country, then does that means Singapore (a country where 70% of its population are Chinese-speaking citizens) must lose its independence and be incorporated into China? Second point, the people who went to Taiwan after the civil war only make up a small percentage of Taiwan’s population. So why should this be a reason to incorporate Taiwan into China? |
 Minister Tai Shia-ling of the Sports Affairs Council under the Cabinet said yesterday that Taiwan’s national athletics team will withdraw from the Beijing Olympic Games if Olympic ... Enlarge Photo  China-Taiwan Relations Breaking News Most Read
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