Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) headquarters and its legislative caucus yesterday said that the use of the nation’s official Olympic title Zhonghua Taibei (Chinese Taipei) should be the bottom line for the nation’s team at the Olympics and that the government should take the issue more seriously.
The comments came in response to the government’s claim that the Chinese government had shown goodwill by using Zhonghua Taibei on the Web site of the China News Service, a state-run media outlet.
“This is not goodwill. They are simply trying to brainwash us by doing this,” DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said. “The government should petition the International Olympic Committee and make sure the Chinese government will not change our name.”
Cheng said that the government’s response to the issue was illogical.
“Chinese Taipei has always been the bottom line for our name during international events. We are not happy about this, but we have to accept it. This is not something to be happy about,” Cheng said. “I do not understand why government officials are so delighted just because the Chinese government began calling us Chinese Taipei.”
Cheng said that instead of relying on the Chinese government’s “so-called” goodwill, the government should come up with a plan to avoid the nation being humiliated again during the Olympics.
“You cannot be careful enough about this,” Cheng said.
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said that Beijing calling Taiwan “Chinese Taipei” had nothing to do with being friendly to Taiwan.
“They simply gave back what belonged to us. Why should we be happy about this?” Huang said.
Huang said that he would regard it as “the Chinese government eventually deciding to play by the rules” and that it had nothing to do with cross-strait relations.
“It is obvious from this issue that the Chinese government will do whatever it takes to humiliate or downgrade us. We should also do whatever it takes to defend our own dignity whenever necessary,” Huang said.
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