Under China’s duress, Taipei forced to compete with “weird” name at Olympics, says US director

Taipei [Taiwan], July 29 (ANI): China “imposes its authoritarianism” on Taiwan, according to US filmmaker Garret Clarke, who has made a documentary on why the self governing island country cannot use its name to compete in major international sports events.

Taiwan is forced to compete in the Paris Olympics 2024 and other global sporting events under the moniker “Chinese Taipei” due to Beijing’s significant influence over the UN and the International Olympic Committee, according to Taiwan’s Central News agency (CNA).

To explore how locals in the self-governed island feel, which China claims as its own, American director Garret Clarke decided to make the 20-minute documentary film titled “”What’s in a Name? A Chinese Taipei Story.”

It traces the origins of the dispute that began with the Chinese civil war after which the Communist Party of China created the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949 while the Republic of China (ROC) government retreated to Taiwan.

The CNA report explains that in 1952 the the IOC allowed both the PRC and the ROC to participate in the Helsinki Olympics, but the ROC rejected this dual recognition and withdrew its team’s participation, enabling the PRC to compete in the Olympics for the first time.

The PRC boycotted the ROC flag at Melbourne Olympics and stayed away from all Olympics throughout the 1960s and early 1970s during which time the ROC competed under the names of “Formosa” in 1960, “Taiwan” in 1964 and 1968, and “Republic of China” in 1972.

This time while the drills were being conducted Taiwanese authorities released the trailer of a TV show titled ‘Zero Day’, which depicts a Chinese invasion. The Taipei government has partly funded the television series.

The country’s Central News Agency described the trailer as a portrayal of how Taiwanese people react to an imminent invasion by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) following a blockade. It also shows cyberattacks disrupting infrastructure and sabotage by Beijing’s collaborators in the prelude to war.

The producer of the series Cheng Shin-mei was cited by local media as saying that with the show she hopes to “draw more global attention to the threats Taiwan faces from China.”

China has been involved in gray zone activities in and around the Taiwan Strait to challenge the status quo. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ).

China continues to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it a part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary.

On July 27, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over Beijing’s recent “provocative” actions towards Taiwan.

Blinken made the remarks after meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday on the sidelines of an annual Southeast Asian regional security forum in Vientiane, Laos.

Meanwhile, A US-based organisation called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Taiwan to compete under its own name instead of “Chinese Taipei”, reported Taiwan News.

Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organisation that seeks to build worldwide support for Taiwan independence, called on the IOC on the opening day of the Paris Olympics 2024. (ANI)