I don’t know much about politics and such, but the recent controversies surrounding the Beijing Olympics made me think of this: The People’s Republic of China considers Taiwan (Republic of China) part of its sovereign territory. However, Taiwan has its own Olympic team, but due to this controversy, they refer to themselves as “Chinese Taipei” and use a special flag with the Taiwanese seal and Olympic rings.
Why does the IOC- and for that matter, the PRC- allow this? Is it because the name “Chinese Taipei” infer that it is a Chinese territory and not an independent country? Although the Dalai Lama and his people would never allow it, could the Tibetans theoretically have their own Olympic team if they called themselves “Chinese Tibet?” What about other indigenous people who consider themselves- or are- soverign but are considered part of another nation, like Native American tribes?
Also, why are colonies allowed their own Olympic teams? Is it another case where the Bermudans, etc. are considered culturally different from their mother country?
Puerto Rico has its own Olympic team too. I don’t know if there’s any rhyme or reason to what non-sovereign or unrecognized entities the IOC lets have teams, other then the fact that they try to be neutral. Most countries at least recognize Taiwan to some degree and have some semi-official relationship with them. (There’s no US embassy in Taiwan, for example, but there is an “American Institute” headed by a guy who works for the State Department.) The only reason China allows them to compete is because the IOC mandates that all teams be recognized by the host country.
Why doesn’t China just take Taiwan by force, they could. Yes I know it’d be FAR from a cakewalk and it’d be a major war but they still could do it.
Why didn’t China take Hong Kong, after Portugal decolonized in the 70s they offered Macau back, why didn’t China take it?
Because Taiwan is a very important trading partner, so was Hong Kong and Macau. China knows if they deny Taiwan too much they can limit or end trade and that hurts China.
But sitting back and letting Taiwan have a few minor victories, like the Olympics, they can have the major economica benefits.
China will allow Taiwan to compete in the 2008 Olympics for the same reason Hitler allowed blacks and Jews to compete in the 1936 Olympics: the IOC demands it.
Incidentally, both Hong Kong and Macau also have separate teams.
China is walking a fine line politically when it comes to Taiwan. B_A_Bay’s opinions notwithstanding, it would be an iffy military proposition to try and take Taiwan, and would definitely draw the US into a conflict that China would ultimately lose (even if not in strictly military terms, given American commitments elsewhere). Unlike Tibet, which the rest of the world has basically given China a muggins on, Taiwan is still very much an issue in conflict, and so they can’t afford to be too cavalier about it.
Using “Chinese Taipei” is an acceptable compromise to the PRC. The name “Chinese Taipei”, no matter from what angle you spin it, can not be construed as “evidence” that Taiwan is not an integral part of China. IIRC Chinese Taipei is used in many international organizations, and not solely the Olympics.
China does not want a precident sent that might possibly be construed somehow by someone somewhere that Taiwan is not part of China.
I will be taking my first “direct” flight to Taiwan in 2 weeks. Actually, it is a “Charter” flight for weekends only, and has to fly through Hong Kong airspace instead of direct (2.5 hours instead of 45 minutes).
So why does China care that someone somewhere might construe what name the Taiwanese players officially play under as evidence of the self-evident? The fact Taiwan manages its own affairs, internal and external, is far more compelling evidence that reality is, in fact, real: Taiwan is its own country, the rest of the world knows it, and forcing people to pretend otherwise just makes Beijing seem like a crazy ex.
I have South Korea first competing in 1948 (London). Since then they have missed only one Olympiad, that of 1980 (Moscow). North Korea entered the fray in 1972 (Munich), failing to turn up in 1984 (Los Angeles) and 1988 (Seoul).
I can’t find any instances of Korea entering a unified team. South Korea and North Korea are again entered separately for Beijing.
Just a small niggle: the term “Chinese Taipei” gives the Taiwan side room to say that yes, we acknowledge that we are culturally Chinese, or part of a theoretical “Greater China”, but we don’t acknowledge that we’re a component of the People’s Republic of China.
If anyone has doubts, please note that Taiwan appeared willing to boycott the games if the agreed-upon Chinese translation of “Chinese Taipei” wasn’t used.
PRC media had been designating the Taiwan team as “Zhongguo Taibei” (中國台北) rather than the negotiated term “Zhonghua Taibei” (中華台北). Either one could be rendered in English as “Chinese Taipei”, but the former term had an additional meaning of “Taipei, China” or “China’s Taipei”. Taiwan quickly turned around and said, nuh-uh, sugah, homey don’t play dat.
The big question is de facto versus de jeure independance. Taiwan currently has de facto but not de jeure independance. Taiwan clearly did **not ** possess de jeure sovereignity through the reign of Chiang ching-kuo, and since then has become a grey area. The rest of world does not in fact officially recognize that Taiwan is de jeure independant - the number of countries that recognize the ROC continues to shrink and is limited pretty much to some small islands and small central american countries. Real politik at work.
Second, there is no great advantage for Beijing to give away Taiwanese sovereignity (even if it’s not theirs to give). Better to keep holding the cards - after all Taiwan is getting increasingly economically integrated, tourism from China to Taiwan is now allowed, between 500k and 2 million Taiwanese are living and working in China at any time, recent elections were a set back to the hardcare Taiwan independance movement, etc.
However, Mahaloth’s point is not that North and South Korea once entered the stadium together for the formal presentation under the same flag. He maintains that the two countries have competed together as Korea in a past Olympiad.
Circumstances can change over the years. It’s very unlikely under the present situation that the mainland would forcibly occupy Taiwan. But who can predict what the situation will be in ten or twenty years? Maintaining the legal claim that Taiwan is part of their country allows Beijing to keep its future options open.
