The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for ensuring the equal treatment of all delegations, including the assurance that Taiwan would not be belittled at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said yesterday.
The comment came in response to backlash following an announcement on Monday that Taiwan’s delegation would be attending the ceremonies tomorrow and on Feb. 20, despite initially saying it would not participate.
Explaining its sudden reversal, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC) said that the IOC sent notices on Saturday requiring all delegations to the Games to cooperate.
Photo: CNA
The delegation was initially not to participate due to flight schedule conflicts and COVID-19 prevention measures.
In a statement on Tuesday condemning the decision, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and other groups accused the CTOC and Sports Administration of going against the official consensus.
They also called on the athletes and other representatives not to participate, as doing so would be “tantamount to endorsing China’s human rights violations.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Taiwan Association for China Human Rights chairman Yang Sen-hong (楊憲宏), who has long protested Taiwan’s participation in the Beijing Games, said the IOC is basically doing China’s bidding, meaning that the CTOC is to some extent also conforming to China’s wishes.
It also chose Lunar New Year’s Eve to make its announcement to minimize the immediate backlash, Yang said.
The entire situation smacks of fraud, with the CTOC going back on its word after the IOC allegedly warned that not attending would affect Taiwan’s membership, he added.
The government must fully explain its decision, as under the current international climate, it seems unlikely that failure to attend would affect a nation’s Olympic status, he said.
Lo yesterday said the decision was made after the IOC in discussions with the CTOC expressed the wish that it could cooperate with its policy.
Little political interference is expected and the situation does not merit excessive speculation or interpretation, he added.
The IOC is responsible for implementing the Olympic Charter, which guarantees equal treatment for all participants in the Games, Lo said, adding that China, as the host country, shares this responsibility.
If a situation arises in which the nation’s sovereignty is minimized, then the Executive Yuan would respond, he added.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do