Taiwan will once again be forced to compete in the Olympics this summer under a nonsensical moniker that neither refers to any political reality nor the identity of its team.
Rather, Taiwan competes under “Chinese Taipei,” a Chinese construction imposed on Taiwanese without consultation.
“Chinese Taipei” is the sole Olympic team not reflecting the name used by its own people. Even territories such as Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and the Virgin Islands are allowed to use their own names and flags. Other partially recognized states such as Israel, Kosovo and Palestine compete as themselves.
“Chinese Taipei” includes athletes from Kaohsiung, Tainan, Kinmen and Penghu, many of whom reject the label “Chinese.” It is also a term which does not translate into Chinese.
The ambiguity of the Chinese translation has made room for an uneasy consensus in Taiwan, where just as many have reached accommodation with the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan as a national identity, most Taiwanese have accepted this compromise as the price of participating in international sports, an argument that won out in Taiwan’s 2018 referendum.
“Chinese Taipei” has become how most of the world sees Taiwan, in effect allowing China to already conquer and subsume the nation in the global public consciousness. This was the goal of inventing “Chinese Taipei,” forcing the international community to accept the fiction that China has authority over Taiwan.
This psychological warfare, useless against Taiwanese, has done incalculable damage overseas. In the event of war, defending Taiwan would require great sacrifice from Americans and other allies. However, would Americans send their sons and daughters to fight for the survival of “Chinese Taipei?”
Would other allies? Would the international community protest against a seemingly internal Chinese fight? The layperson understands “Chinese Taipei” to imply a degree of Chinese control or sovereignty.
As China has grown more muscular, so has “Chinese Taipei creep,” the process by which China has forced the moniker beyond sports into arenas where Taiwan has long been known as Taiwan.
The WTO, which admitted Taiwan as the “Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” now refers to Taiwan as “Chinese Taipei,” as do other multilateral organizations such as APEC. This has even extended to bird-watching groups and beauty pageants.
When the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) ruled the ROC on Taiwan under martial law, it was forced to participate in the Olympics as “Taiwan” and “Formosa,” despite the KMT’s claims to represent China. In response, the ROC team showed up to the 1960 Olympics with a giant banner reading “Under Protest.”
If Taiwan’s sporting committees lack the will to mount such a protest again, patriotic Taiwanese athletes should lead the way, continuing the long tradition of Olympic protest. Taiwanese athletes can unfurl flags, apply uniform patches and kneel for the national anthem to protest Taiwan’s discrimination by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
International media must not submit to the fiction of “Chinese Taipei.” It is not a real place, and just because China insists that Taiwan’s team be mislabeled does not mean that newspapers and broadcasters should misinform their audiences. In the 2021, the New York Times identified Taiwan’s Olympic team as Taiwan, and NHK proclaimed “this is Taiwan” when “Chinese Taipei” entered the arena. Global media should follow suit by accurately reporting that Taiwan exists and explain the truth behind the false moniker.
Taiwan’s politically savvy diaspora can lead in holding overseas media accountable. In particular, Taiwanese Americans should leverage the language of social justice activism to hold US media to account for discriminating against Taiwanese. By framing their arguments in terms of racial justice, they have a vast arsenal to fight China’s propaganda.
In countries sympathetic to Taiwan’s cause, officials should encourage state broadcasters to tell the truth about Taiwan. The Czech Republic, Lithuania and the UK have all asserted rhetorical support for Taiwan, and have critical constituencies of politicians and policy experts who can play a leading role as watchdogs for how public broadcasters and national media depict Taiwan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should utilize strategies it has implemented for building support for World Health Assembly membership to build a global coalition to pressure the IOC to allow Taiwan to compete under its name of choice. The US and its allies must offer support.
The US Congress should pass the bipartisan Taiwan Allies Fund Act and direct funds to support allies who face economic repercussions from China for upholding press freedoms.
Taiwan has a lot to do in sharing its story and unique history with the world, but it must start by speaking its name.
Sasha B. Chhabra is an analyst, commentator and media consultant on China’s foreign policy, Taiwanese politics and cross-strait affairs.
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