Taiwan’s victory in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship is an historic achievement. Yet once again this achievement is marred by the indignity of the imposed moniker “Chinese Taipei.” The absurdity is compounded by the fact that none of the players are even from Taipei, and some, such as Paiwan catcher Giljegiljaw Kungkuan, are not even ethnically Chinese.
The issue garnered attention around the Paris Olympics, yet fell off the agenda as Olympic memories retreated. “Chinese Taipei” persists, and the baseball championship serves as a reminder that fighting “Chinese Taipei” must be a continuous campaign, not merely resurfacing around international competitions. This campaign requires sustained energy, and “Chinese Taipei” must be contested on all fronts.
“Chinese Taipei” has spread from the Olympics to numerous venues where Taiwan is represented internationally in a process known as “Chinese Taipei creep,” a critical part of China’s strategy to erase Taiwan internationally. Sporting associations, airlines and now even the nation of Denmark have all fallen to Chinese Taipei creep. Despite false portrayals in the media as a “compromise” between China and Taiwan, Taiwanese were never consulted and the name is a unilateral surrender to Chinese ultranationalists.
The intent of imposing “Chinese Taipei” is to subsume Taiwan into China in the public imagination.
Taiwan’s baseball champions are starting to fight back. Team Taiwan’s captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) has drawn praise for holding his hands in an empty frame across his chest where his nation’s name should be. The gesture has been widely adopted, including by President William Lai (賴清德).
Japanese media eschewed “Chinese Taipei” for Taiwan, setting an important example for international media. Taiwanese fans also flooded the Tokyo Dome with Taiwanese flags and banners, for all the world to see. Their ability to express their identity freely in Japan contrasts darkly with the cowardice of French authorities this summer.
Taiwanese media and politicians, who had long stuck to the term “Team Chunghwa,” have increasingly used “Team Taiwan” in English and Chinese, an important marker of public support. Even Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politicians, who have long preferred the “Republic of China” or “Chunghwa” in the international area, have embraced “Team Taiwan.”
The Premier12 has shown that when Taiwanese show up, they can make their voices heard. Taiwanese supporters should continue to vigorously contest all instances of “Chinese Taipei.” China barely exists in the arena of international baseball, so how can it be that Taiwan is still forced to use “Chinese Taipei”?
Taiwanese should utilize the language and advocacy tools of racial justice to hold international media and other organizations to account for discrimination against Taiwanese identity. Athletes should build on the examples set by Chen and Pan Chieh-kai (潘傑楷) to engage in even more ostentatious acts of protest to bring attention to the issue.
This campaign must not be swept away with the ticker tape once the parade is over: Taiwan’s opponent in this fight is relentless and does not go home after nine innings. Around the world, Chinese officials, diplomats and businesspeople work in a coordinated manner to contest any mention of Taiwan. To counter them, Taiwanese must engage in an “everything, everywhere, all at once” campaign, continuously contesting each and every instance of “Chinese Taipei,” and not relenting until Taiwan is allowed to be Taiwan.
Sasha B. Chhabra is an analyst, commentator and media consultant on China’s foreign policy, Taiwanese politics and cross-strait affairs.
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS