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China chases ROC flag at Games

Bobsledders Lin Ruei-ming, left, and Chen Chien-li, center, and Team Taiwan spokesman Sam Huang pose with the ROC and Olympic flags near Salt Lake City. PHOTO COURTESY OF TEAM TAIWAN

China is getting in a flap over Taiwan's flag at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Two incidents of the nation's flag being raised in the city and China complaining about it have been reported.

In addition, Taiwan's flag has been spotted flying with the official standard of the Olympic Games at an industrial park in the suburbs of Salt Lake City by the nation's bobsled team.

In the first case of attempted Chinese interference, a Taiwanese national in Salt Lake City put up his home country's flag outside his store. A few days later he was told that Chinese officials had called the governor of Utah and complained.

They had demanded the flag be removed, but the request was refused by the storekeeper.

In the second incident, apartment owners near the Olympic Medals Plaza in Salt Lake City, stood up to China and refused to take down Taiwan's national flag, according to AFP reports.

The residents of the apartment block had put in US$11 each to buy 200 flags from 90 different countries, as a goodwill gesture during the Games.

But two Taiwan flags brought complaints and a visit from China's Washington embassy staff.

"It took a couple of times for them to understand that this is private residence, not a government building," resident Annetta Mower said. "We thought the idea of the flags was exciting. We had no idea that it would raise any kind of controversy."

Mower said residents did not intend to remove any flags.

The Chinese embassy's first secretary, Huang Dizhong, said his country realized citizens in the US could put up any flag they wanted on private land.

As a consequence, he said, the complaint would not be pursued.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Olympic athletes passed an industrial park in a western suburb of Salt Lake City earlier this week when they unexpectedly saw the country's flag flying next to the Olympic standard.

Team Taiwan spokesman Sam Huang said, "There were a bunch of flags flown and one of them, ironically, was the national flag of Taiwan. And next to it was the 2002 Olympic flag.

"This business goes back to the Atlanta Summer Games [in 1986] when a few Taiwanese students went to the Games sporting shirts that bore the national flag.

"They were stopped and were told to remove or reverse the shirts. They refused and I believe they were arrested," Huang said.

"This story inspired me to get a tattoo of my country's national flag for the next Games and see if they are tough enough to remove it from my skin."

Beijing has forced international sports organizations to block Taiwan from joining sports events under its official name.

In 1981, Taiwan was forced to sign an agreement with the International Olympic Committee before rejoining it. The agreement required Taiwan to participate at sporting events under the name "Chinese Taipei" and use a Chinese Taipei Olympic flag and anthem, instead of the ROC's national flag and anthem.
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