“In light of the current situation, there shouldn’t be any instances of Taiwan being called Zhongguo Taibei in Beijing.” Tai said.
Tai said that the council did not expect any “surprises” during the Games as the Chinese side had complied with the 1989 Hong Kong agreement at Olympic Games and Asian Games in the past.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) had instructed the National Security Council, the MAC, the SAC, the Government Information Office and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to form a task force to plan for any possible emergency situations regarding the name controversy.
“The task force came up with several response plans. For example, if the organizer refers to the Taiwanese team as Zhongguo Taibei we will lodge a protest immediately and demand the International Olympic Committee handle our complaint,” Tai said.
She said the response plan still includes the possibility of withdrawing from the Games.
KMT Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) said the nation must stand its ground on the issue during the Games.
“This seems trivial, but it could turn out to be a major problem ... we cannot soften our stance [on the issue],” he said.
He suggested that the nation closely watch whether China would attempt to refer to the Taiwanese delegation as Zhongguo Taibei during the opening ceremony, adding that the delegation should withdraw from the Games if necessary.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
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