When Taiwanese athletes entered the arena during the Tokyo Olympics’ opening ceremony, Mayuko Wakuda, an announcer at Japanese broadcaster NHK, said: “It’s Taiwan.” It struck a chord with all Taiwanese, who began enthusiastically sharing the clip.
Saying “all Taiwanese” might not be entirely true, because Chinese were mad, and some people who live in Taiwan, but think they are Chinese, were mad, too.
Amazingly, playing up to the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said that “this is not the time to push the name rectification campaign.”
Not surprisingly, he was criticized by people who asked why he would not listen to what Taiwanese, especially the young generation, want and why the KMT could not go along with public opinion for once.
When Chinese streaming giant Tencent stopped the broadcast as Taiwan entered the arena as team No. 104, and instead broadcast a talk show, Chinese Internet users also missed the entrance of team No. 108 — the Chinese team. Hopping mad, they stormed a Tencent microblog, causing it to crash. To see that Chinese completely lack self confidence and that Chinese media are so fearful of Taiwan is dumbfounding.
Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) on July 24 said that most people think “Chinese Taipei” sounds weird, so when NHK said: “It’s Taiwan,” everyone started cheering in the representative office’s studio.
Why did the announcer say: “It’s Taiwan”? Because just as the world does not know any country by the name “Chinese Taipei,” nor do Japanese.
However, most Japanese know and like Taiwan, so when “Chinese Taipei” was announced to enter the arena, everyone was confused. Only after Wakuda added a clarifying “It’s Taiwan,” Japanese and athletes present began cheering.
Taiwan is of course Taiwan, and calling it “Chinese Taipei” is neither fish nor fowl, just as calling it Zhongguo Taibei (China, Taipei, 中國台北) or Zhongguode Taibei (China’s Taipei, 中國的台北) in Chinese is very strange.
Some “Chinese” in Taiwan think that by saying Zhonghua Taibei (Chinese Taipei, 中華台北), they would manage to trick themselves and others into believing that the Republic of China (ROC) still exists, yet they are afraid of uttering that title. It is as if they had split personalities.
It sounds odd when a media report says that “so-and-so from Tainan in Chinese Taipei won gold.” What does Tainan have to do with Taipei? What is wrong with “from Tainan in Taiwan”?
When traveling, Taiwanese — regardless of political affiliation — say “Taiwan” when someone asks where they are from, not the ROC; and all the good stuff is MIT — Made in Taiwan — not MIROC.
At the Tokyo Olympics, the NHK announcer is not the only one who says “Taiwan”: When medals are awarded, they are registered under Taiwan, and many other countries also speak of Taiwan.
People are guessing that it is about the approval of the Japanese government and its Olympic committee, but it could also have to do with Taiwan being an independent and sovereign country.
Unfortunately, Taiwan’s Olympic committee still refuses to rectify its name. When Olympic medalist Chi Cheng (紀政) in 2018 proposed a referendum on Taiwan participating under the name “Taiwan,” the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee opposed the suggestion. It is simply shameful.
The government should disentangle itself from the mess and change its name to “Taiwan Olympic Committee,” and Taiwan should face the world as Taiwan, and nothing else.
Twu Shiing-jer is chairman of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance and a former mayor of Chiayi City.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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