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"Chinese Taipei" is the term used in various international organizations and tournaments for groups or delegations representing the
Republic of China (ROC), a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
commonly known as
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Due to the
One-China principle stipulated by the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(PRC, China), Taiwan, being a non-
UN member after
its expulsion in 1971 with
ongoing dispute of its sovereignty, was prohibited from using or displaying any of its
national symbols
A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering and manifesting itself to the world as a national community: the sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an e ...
such as national name,
anthem and
flag that would represent the statehood of Taiwan at international events.
This dissension eventually came to a compromise when the term "Chinese Taipei" was first proposed in the
Nagoya Resolution
The Republic of China (ROC) took part in the opening ceremony of the 1924 Summer Olympics, but its four athletes, all of whom were tennis players, withdrew from competition. The ROC participated in its first Olympic Games in 1932 under the name o ...
in 1979, whereby the ROC/Taiwan and the PRC/China recognize the right of participation to each other and remain as separate teams in any activities of the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
and its correlates. This term came into official use in 1981 following a name change of Olympic Committee of the ROC to
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee
The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (; IOC code: TPE) is the National Olympic Committee representing the Republic of China (Taiwan).
History
The China National Amateur Athletic Federation () was established on 3 April 1922. Later that year, the ...
. Such arrangement later became a model for the ROC/Taiwan to continue participating in various international organizations and affairs in diplomacy other than the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
, including the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
, the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
, the
Metre Convention
The Metre Convention (french: link=no, Convention du Mètre), also known as the Treaty of the Metre, is an international treaty that was signed in Paris on 20 May 1875 by representatives of 17 nations (Argentina, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazi ...
,
APEC
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. , and international pageants.
"Chinese Taipei" is a
deliberately ambiguous term, which is equivocal about the
political status of the ROC/Taiwan, and the meaning of "Chinese" (''
Zhōnghuá'', ) is also ambiguous which can either be interpreted as
national identity
National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...
or
cultural sphere
In anthropology and geography, a cultural region, cultural sphere, cultural area or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associated ...
(similar
ethnonyms
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and u ...
as
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...
,
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
,
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Iranian
Iranian may refer to:
* Iran, a sovereign state
* Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran
* Iranian lan ...
) by each party,
"
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
" is only reflected as its
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...
which does not specify the geographical extent of the ROC.
It was considered as an expedient resolution and a more inclusive term than just "Taiwan" to either the
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
, the ruling party of the ROC at the time during the Nagoya Resolution, or the PRC, whilst
both sides were contending their legitimacy over the whole "China" that regarded to encompass both of
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
and Taiwan. To the PRC's perspective, whose persistent policy is to keep Taipei isolated on the world stage and balks at any use of "Taiwan" as official title, lest it lend Taiwan a sense of international recognition for its “
independent statehood” that may present it as a separate entity from the PRC.
The term "Taiwan, China" or "Taipei, China" was rejected by the ROC government because it would simply be construed as Taiwan being a subordinate region to the PRC.
The popular opinions in Taiwan have changed drastically in regard to the cross-strait relations
Cross-Strait relations (sometimes called Mainland–Taiwan relations, or Taiwan-China relations) are the relations between China (officially the People's Republic of China) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China).
The relationship h ...
and the nationalistic discourses since its transition to democracy, “Chinese Taipei” has constantly been viewed as anachronistic, aggravating, or even a humiliating and shameful symbol by many Taiwanese. An ongoing movement, the Taiwan Name Rectification Campaign seeks alteration of the formal name from "Chinese Taipei" to "Taiwan" for the representation in Olympic Games or further potential international events. A nationwide referendum was held in 2018, in which a proposal of the name change was rejected. The main argument voting against such a move was concerning that the consequence of the renaming impact is immensely uncertain, at worst, the renaming dispute could be used by China as an excuse to exclude Taiwan from participating the Olympic Games completely and force its existing membership to be revoked.[ This was the case when Taiwan was stripped of the right to host 2019 ]East Asian Youth Games
The East Asian Youth Games (EAYG) is a continental multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) and held every four years since 2019 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asi ...
amid its renaming issue with China during that year.[
]
Origins
Two Chinas at the Olympics
In the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
in 1949, the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(PRC) was established and the nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
Republic of China (ROC) government retreated to Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, previously a Qing territory that was ceded to Japanese rule from 1895 until its surrender at the end of World War II in 1945. As time went on, the increased official recognition of the PRC in international activities, such as when accorded recognition in 1971 by the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
, instead of that accorded previously to the ROC saw existing diplomatic relations transfer from Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
to Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. The ROC needed to come to a beneficial conclusion to how it would be referred when there was participation by the PRC in the same forum.
The International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) recognized both the PRC and the ROC Olympic Committees in 1954. In 1958, The PRC withdrew its membership from the IOC and nine other international sports organizations in protest against the two-Chinas policy. After the withdrawal of the PRC, the IOC had been using a number of names in international Olympic activities to differentiate the ROC from the PRC. "Formosa" was used at the 1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
, and "Taiwan" was used in 1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
and 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Janu ...
. In 1975, the PRC applied to rejoin the IOC as the sole sports organization representing the whole China. The Taiwanese team, competing under the name of Republic of China at the previous Olympics, was refused to represent itself as the "Republic of China" or use "China" in its name by host Canadian government at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 P ...
. The IOC then voted to change the name of the ROC team to "Taiwan", which was rejected by the ROC, and the ROC announced withdrawal from the 1976 Summer Olympics a day before the opening ceremony.
The top ROC leadership at the time asserted Chinese nationalism, contending both parts of divided China are Chinese territories and Taiwan did not represent all the regions of the ROC. What people refer to as Taiwan is one of several areas or islands ( Penghu, Kinmen
Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separat ...
and Matsu in addition to Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
) and Taiwan alone did not reflect the "territorial extent" of the ROC. Furthermore, although it is true that most products from the area controlled by the ROC are labeled "made in Taiwan", the trade practices of the ROC are such that the regional area of production is used for labeling. Some wines from Kinmen are labeled "made in Kinmen", just as some perfume are labeled "made in Paris" and not "made in France". Therefore, the ROC government refused to accept the name of Taiwan during the period.
1979 IOC resolutions
In April 1979, the IOC recognized the Olympic Committee of the PRC and maintained recognition of the Olympic Committee located in Taipei at the 81st IOC Session held in Montevideo. The resolution left problems relating to the names, anthems and flags of both committees unsolved. The PRC showed a willingness to allow Taiwan to be included in the IOC but objected to the resolution, reaffirming sports organizations in Taiwan must not use any of the emblems of the Republic of China. He Zhenliang
He Zhenliang (; 29 December 1929 – 4 January 2015) was a Chinese politician and diplomat. He served as vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, the chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Culture and Olympic Education Com ...
, a representative of the PRC, stated in Montevideo:
According to the Olympic Charter, only one Chinese Olympic Committee should be recognized. In consideration of the athletes in Taiwan having an opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games, the sports constitution in Taiwan could function as a local organization of China and still remain in the Olympic Movement in the name of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. However, its anthem, flag and constitutions should be changed correspondingly.
After the 81st Session, the IOC Executive Board designated the Olympic Committee in Beijing as the Chinese Olympic Committee
The Chinese Olympic Committee (; IOC code: CHN) has been the officially designated body of the People's Republic of China (PRC) regarding the Olympic Games and other affiliated international sport federations since 1979, when the Nagoya Resol ...
, with the PRC's anthem, flag and emblem. The Olympic Committee in Taipei was designated as the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee
The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (; IOC code: TPE) is the National Olympic Committee representing the Republic of China (Taiwan).
History
The China National Amateur Athletic Federation () was established on 3 April 1922. Later that year, the ...
, with a different anthem, flag and emblem from those the ROC used and which must be approved by the executive board. Lord Killanin
Baron Killanin, of Galway in the County of Galway, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
It was created in 1900 for the Irish lawyer and politician Michael Morris, Baron Morris, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Cour ...
, the president of the IOC, submitted the resolution to IOC members for a postal vote
Postal voting is voting in an election where ballot papers are distributed to electors (and typically returned) by post, in contrast to electors voting in person at a polling station or electronically via an electronic voting system.
In an el ...
following the conclusion of the IOC Executive Board meeting held in October 1979 in Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
. The resolution, known as the Nagoya Resolution
The Republic of China (ROC) took part in the opening ceremony of the 1924 Summer Olympics, but its four athletes, all of whom were tennis players, withdrew from competition. The ROC participated in its first Olympic Games in 1932 under the name o ...
, was approved in November 1979 by the IOC members, and later other international sports federations adopted the resolution.
The Nagoya Resolution was welcomed by the PRC as the resolution followed the PRC's One China
The term One China may refer to one of the following:
* The One China principle is the position held by the People's Republic of China (PRC) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sole legit ...
principle, whereas the ROC decided that the ROC Olympic Committee must strongly protest against the decisions. From November 1979, the ROC Olympic Committee and Taiwan's IOC member, Henry Hsu, filed a series of lawsuits in Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
against the IOC for annulment of the Nagoya Resolution. Taiwanese officials also boycotted the 1980 Winter and Summer Games in protest of not being allowed to use the ROC's official name, flag and national anthem.
1981 agreement
In 1980, the IOC amended the Olympic Charter so that all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) when participating in the Games could use delegation flags and anthems, instead of national ones. Juan Antonio Samaranch
Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh P ...
, the new president of the IOC, met Henry Hsu several times to discuss the ROC Olympic Committee's status in the IOC. In order for the youth to participate in the Olympic Games and counteract the PRC's strategy of isolating the ROC, the ROC government concluded that the ROC Olympic Committee should not withdraw from the IOC.
In 1981, the ROC government formally accepted the name "Chinese Taipei". A flag bearing the emblem of its Olympic Committee against a white background as the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag
The Chinese Taipei Olympic flag is used by the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan team, which competes under the title "Chinese Taipei" during the Olympic Games and other events, in place of the flag of the Republic of China. This is a result of th ...
was confirmed in January. Based on the Olympic Charter amended at the 82nd IOC Session, an agreement was signed on 23 March in Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
by Juan Antonio Samaranch, the president of the IOC, and Shen Chia-ming, the president of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOC). The 1981 agreement, also known as the Lausanne Agreement, specified the name, flag and emblem of the CTOC. The CTOC is therefore entitled to be treated on the equal footing as other NOCs. In 1983, the National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China
The National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China (), also unofficially known as the "National Banner Song", is a patriotic song typically played during the raising and lowering of the flag of the Republic of China. Domestically, the flag ...
was chosen as the anthem of the Chinese Taipei delegation. Taiwan has competed under this name and flag exclusively at each Games since the 1984 Winter Olympics
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games (Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки игр ...
, as well as at the Paralympics and at other international events (with flags on which the Olympic rings are replaced by a symbol appropriate to the event).
Translation compromise
Chinese
Both the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(PRC) agree to use the English name "Chinese Taipei". The ambiguity of the English word "Chinese" may mean either the state or the culture. The ROC translates "Chinese Taipei" as ''Zhōnghuá Táiběi'' (). The term " Zhonghua" is also used in the ROC's official name and state-owned enterprises. Meanwhile, The PRC translates the name as ''Zhōngguó Táiběi'' () or literally "Taipei, China", in the same manner as ''Zhōngguó Xiānggǎng'' () ("Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, China"), explicitly connoting that Taipei is a part of the Chinese state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
.[ The disagreement was left unresolved, with both governments using their own translation domestically, until just before the ]1990 Asian Games
)
, Nations participating = 36
, Athletes participating = 6,122
, Events = 308 in 27 sports
, Opening ceremony = 22 September 1990
, Closing ceremony = 7 October 1990
, Officially opened by = Yang Shangkun
, O ...
where Taiwan would officially participate under the Chinese Taipei name in a Chinese-language region for the first time, forcing the need for an agreement.
In 1989, the two Olympic committees signed a pact in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
where the PRC agreed to use the ROC's translation in international sports-related occasions hosted in China. Domestically, the PRC continues to use its own "Taipei, China" translation. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Chinese state media used the agreed-upon ''Zhōnghuá Táiběi'' both internationally and in domestic press. However, during the 2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, state media began using ''Zhōngguó Táiběi'' domestically 93% of the time. During the 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony
The 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony was held at Beijing National Stadium, China on 4 February 2022. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the proceedings are expected to combine the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sportin ...
, China's state media's broadcast cut away to a clip of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader ...
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...
when Taiwan's delegation paraded as ''Zhōnghuá Táiběi''. The broadcast in the stadium introduced the team as ''Zhōnghuá Táiběi'', while the television broadcast commentator of China Central Television announced the delegation's name as ''Zhōngguó Táiběi''.
The World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
, the international organization to both have Chinese as one of its official languages and have the ROC officially participate, uses ''Zhōnghuá Táiběi'' in meeting minutes when the ROC is officially invited, but uses ''Zhōngguó Táiběi'' in all other contexts.
Other languages
In French, multiple different names have been officially used. The World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
officially translates the name as "Taipei Chinois", which has an ambiguous meaning. The text of the IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
's Nagoya Resolution in 1979 used the name "Taipei de Chine" suggesting the state meaning of "Chinese". Before signing the agreement between the IOC and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee in 1981, representatives of two committees decided that the French name need not be stated. Only the English name would be used in the future IOC official documents. To this day, Chinese Taipei's page on the French-language IOC's website internally uses both "Taipei de Chine" and "Taipei chinois" (with a lowercase "c") for some image alt text
The alt attribute is the HTML attribute used in HTML and XHTML documents to specify alternative text (alt text) that is to be displayed in place of an element that cannot be rendered. The alt attribute is used for short descriptions, with lon ...
, but the title of the page itself simply uses the English name "Chinese Taipei". When the name is announced during the Parade of Nations, the French and English announcers both repeat the identical name "Chinese Taipei" in English.
In East Asian languages that would normally transcribe directly from Chinese, an English transliteration is used instead to sidestep the issue. Thus Japan uses ''Chainīzu Taipei'' () while South Korea uses ''Chainiseu Taibei'' (차이니스 타이베이) for their respective-language announcements during the Olympic Games.
Use of the name
International organizations and forums
Besides the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
and sports organizations, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
is a member economy of APEC
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. and its official name in the organization is "Chinese Taipei". Taiwan's name in the World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...
, "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu", is frequently abbreviated as Chinese Taipei. It also participated as an invited guest in the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
(WHO) under the name of Chinese Taipei. The WHO is the only agency of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
that the ROC is able, provided it is invited each year, to participate in since 1971.
The terminology has spilled into apolitical arenas. The PRC
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
has successfully pressured some international organizations and NGOs
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
to refer to the ROC as Chinese Taipei. The International Society for Horticultural Science
The International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) is the world's leading independent organization of horticultural scientists. Its aim is "to promote and encourage research and education in all branches of horticultural science and to fa ...
replaced "Taiwan" with "Chinese Taipei" in designation used for the membership. In a similar case, two Taiwanese medical groups were forced to change the word "Taiwan" in their membership names of ISRRT due to a request by the WHO
Who or WHO may refer to:
* Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun
* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism
* World Health Organization
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
.
In the Miss World 1998
Miss World 1998, the 48th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 26 November 1998 at the Lake Berjaya Mahé Resort in Mahé Island, Seychelles. 86 delegates from around the world competed for the crown. Ronan Keating, then lead singer ...
, the government of the PRC pressured the Miss World Organization
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Inte ...
to rename Miss Republic of China 1998 to "Miss Chinese Taipei". The same happened in 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
, but with the Miss Universe Organization
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Str ...
. Three years later at the Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...
pageant in Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
, the first official Miss China and Miss Taiwan competed alongside each other for the first time in history, prompting the PRC government to again demand that Miss Taiwan assume the title "Miss Chinese Taipei". Today, neither Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by a United States and Thailand based Miss Universe Organization.Natalie Tadena (July 2, 2015"Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant Lands on Reelz Cable Channel". ''The Wall Stre ...
nor Miss World, the two largest pageant contests in the world, allow Taiwan's entrants to compete under the Taiwan label. In 2005, the third-largest pageant contest, Miss Earth, initially allowed Taiwanese contestant to compete as "Miss Taiwan"; a week into the pageant, however, the contestant's sash was updated to "Taiwan ROC". In 2008, Miss Earth changed the country's label to Chinese Taipei.
In Taiwan
The name is controversial in modern Taiwan; many Taiwanese see it as a result of shameful but necessary compromise, and a symbol of oppression from the mainland China forced upon them. The title "Chinese Taipei" has been described as confusing, as it leads some people to believe that "Taipei" is a country or that it is located in and/or governed by mainland China. Taiwanese Olympian Chi Cheng has described competing under the name as "aggravating, humiliating and depressing."
Changing demographics and opinions in the country mean that more than 80% of citizens in 2016 see themselves as Taiwanese, not Chinese whereas in 1991 this figure was only 13.6%. This radical upswell in Taiwanese national identity has seen a re-appraisal and removal of "sinocentric" labels and figures established by the government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
during the period of Martial Law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
. For sporting events, the ROC team is abbreviated in Taiwan as the "Zhonghua Team" (). Starting around the time of the 2004 Summer Olympics, there has been a movement in Taiwan to change media references to the team to "Taiwan". During the 2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...
, most TV channels referred to the ROC as the Zhonghua Team while some channels preferred "Taiwan Team" ().
2017 Summer Universiade
Use of the label came under vigorous renewed criticism during the run-up to the 2017 Summer Universiade
The 2017 Summer Universiade (), officially known as the XXIX Summer Universiade ( zh, t=第二十九屆夏季世界大學運動會, p=Dì èrshíjiǔ jiè xiàjì shìjiè dàxué yùndònghuì) and commonly called Taipei 2017 ( zh, t=台北2 ...
, hosted in Taiwan. Taiwanese legislators Huang Kuo-chang in particular lambasted the English-language guide to the Universiade for its "absurd" use of the label, illustrating this with statements extracted from the guide rendered nonsensical by their author's insistence on completely avoiding the name "Taiwan" not only when referring to the label under which Taiwanese athletes compete, but even when referring to geographical features such as the island of Taiwan itself. These statements included "Introduction of our Island: ... Chinese Taipei is long and narrow that lies north to south", and "Chinese Taipei is a special island and its Capital Taipei is a great place to experience Taipei's culture." Huang added sarcastically, "Welcome to Taipei, Chinese Taipei!"
In response, the guide was withdrawn and shortly thereafter re-issued with the designation "Taiwan" reinstated. Despite these corrections, hundreds of Taiwanese demonstrated in Taipei, demanding that Taiwan cease using "Chinese Taipei" at sporting events. In a bid to raise international awareness demonstrators unfurled huge banners reading, in English, "Taiwan is not Chinese Taipei" and "Let Taiwan be Taiwan". Reporting on the controversy at the opening of the Universiade, ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' shared Taiwanese indignation over the designation, writing "Imagine if the United States were to hold a major international event, but one of the conditions was for it to call itself British Washington."
2018 referendum
In February 2018, an alliance of civic organizations submitted a proposal to Taiwan's Central Election Commission. The proposed referendum asks if the nation should apply under the name of "Taiwan" for all international sports events, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The proposal influenced the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) to revoke Taichung
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Ta ...
's right to host the first East Asian Youth Games
The East Asian Youth Games (EAYG) is a continental multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Olympic Committee (EAOC) and held every four years since 2019 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asi ...
due to "political factors". An International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) representative reportedly said this was entirely the decision of the EAOC, and the IOC had no role in the ruling. The IOC also disapproved the altered name and sent three different warnings to the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee ahead of the referendum vote, concerning the renaming issue which may disbar Taiwan from Olympic competitions.
Taiwanese people voted during the 2018 referendum to reject the proposal to change their official Olympic-designated name from Chinese Taipei to Taiwan. The main argument for opposing the name change was worrying that Taiwan may lose its Olympic membership under Chinese pressure, which would result in athletes unable to compete in the Olympics.
Other alternative references to Taiwan
Terminology used to refer to the Republic of China has varied according to the geopolitical situation. Initially, the Republic of China was known simply as "China" until 1971 when the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
replaced the Republic of China as the exclusive legitimate representative of "China" at the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
. In order to distinguish the Republic of China from the People's Republic of China, there has been a growing current of support for the use of "Taiwan" in place of "China" to refer to the former.
Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu
The World Trade Organization officially uses "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, Penghu, Kinmen
Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separat ...
, and Matsu" for Taiwan, but frequently also uses the shorter name "Chinese Taipei" in official documents.
As with "Chinese Taipei", the ROC and PRC also disagree on the Chinese translation of this name. The ROC uses ''Tái Pēng Jīn Mǎ Gèbié Guānshuì Lǐngyù'' (, literal translation: ''TPKM Separate Customs Territory''), while the PRC uses ''Zhōngguó Táiběi Dāndú Guānshuì Qū'' (, literal translation: ''Separate Customs Territory of Taipei, China'').
Taiwan, Province of China
International organizations in which the PRC participates generally do not recognize Taiwan or allow its membership. Thus, for example, whenever the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
makes reference to Taiwan, which does not appear on its member countries list, it uses the designation "Taiwan, Province of China", and organizations that follow UN standards usually do the same, such as the International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...
in its listing of ISO 3166-1
ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...
country codes. Certain web-based postal address programs also label the country designation name for Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China".
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs objected to the term together with other names including "Taiwan, China", "Taipei, China" and "Chinese Taiwan" in guidelines issued in 2018.
Island of Taiwan/Formosa
The term island of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...
or Formosa is used sometimes to avoid any misunderstanding about the Taiwan independence movement
The Taiwan independence movement is a political movement which advocates the formal declaration of an Independence, independent and Sovereign state, sovereign Taiwanese state, as opposed to Chinese unification or the status quo in Cross-Str ...
just referring to the island.
China or Republic of China
Some non-governmental organizations which the PRC does not participate in continue to use "China" or the "Republic of China". The World Organization of the Scout Movement
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOSM ...
is one of few international organizations that continue to use the name of "Republic of China", and the ROC affiliate as the Scouts of China
The Scouts of China or the General Association of the Scouts of China in full, is the national Scouting association of the Republic of China and represents the Scouting organization in Taiwan. It is a member of the World Organization of the Sco ...
. This is because such Scouting in Mainland China
Scouting and Girl Guides, Guiding in Mainland China was reported as banned (or ceased) with the establishment of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) by the Communist Party of China, Communist Party since 1949. Instead, the Young Pioneers o ...
is very limited or not really active. Likewise, Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
is outlawed in the PRC and thus the Grand Lodge of China
Grand may refer to:
People with the name
* Grand (surname)
* Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor
* Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist
* Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper
Places
* Grand, Oklahoma
* Grand, Vosges, village and co ...
is based in Taiwan.
Countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, especially the ROC's older diplomatic affiliates, also refer to the ROC as "China" on occasion; for example, during the funeral of Pope John Paul II
The funeral of Pope John Paul II was held on 8 April 2005, six days after his death on 2 April. The funeral was followed by the devotional in which the Catholic Church observes nine days of mourning.
On 22 February 1996, Pope John Paul II ...
, the President of the Republic of China, Chen Shui-bian
Chen Shui-bian (; born 12 October 1950) is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whic ...
, was seated as part of the French alphabetical seating arrangement as the head of state of "" between the first lady of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, and the president of Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
.
Governing authorities on Taiwan
The United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
uses the term "governing authorities on Taiwan" instead of the "Republic of China" from 1 January 1979 in the Taiwan Relations Act
The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA; ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Thôi-van Kwan-hè-fap''; ) is an act of the United States Congress. Since the formal recognition of the People's Republic of China, the Act has defined the officially substantial but non-diplo ...
. Geographically speaking and following the similar content in the earlier defense treaty from 1955, it defines the term "Taiwan" to include, as the context may require, the island of Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...
(the main Island) and the Pescadores
The Penghu (, Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘'' or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, located approximately west from the main island of Taiwan, covering an area ...
(Penghu). Of the other islands or archipelagos under the control of the Republic of China, Kinmen
Kinmen, alternatively known as Quemoy, is a group of islands governed as a county by the Republic of China (Taiwan), off the southeastern coast of mainland China. It lies roughly east of the city of Xiamen in Fujian, from which it is separat ...
, the Matsus, etc., are left outside the definition of Taiwan.
Other non-specified areas
The United Nations publishes population projections for each nation, with nations grouped under geographic area; in 2015, the East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
group contained an entry named "Other non-specified areas" referring to Taiwan. However, the 2017 publication updated the entry's name to the UN's preferred "Taiwan, Province of China".
Gallery of Chinese Taipei flags
File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg, Flag of the Republic of China
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
, origin of the Blue Sky with a White Sun
The Blue Sky with a White Sun () serves as the design for the party flag and emblem of the Kuomintang, the canton of the flag of the Republic of China, the national emblem of the Republic of China, and as the naval jack of the ROC Navy.
In th ...
symbol used in Olympic and other "Chinese Taipei" flags
File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg, Chinese Taipei Olympic flag
The Chinese Taipei Olympic flag is used by the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan team, which competes under the title "Chinese Taipei" during the Olympic Games and other events, in place of the flag of the Republic of China. This is a result of th ...
File:Chinese Taipei Paralympic Flag.svg, Chinese Taipei Paralympic flag
File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Deaf.svg, Chinese Taipei Deaflympics flag
File:Flag of Chinese Taipei for Universiade.svg, Chinese Taipei Universiade
The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and " Olympiad".
The Universiade is referred ...
flag
File:Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union logo.png, Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union
The Chinese Taipei Rugby Football Union (''CTRFU'')) ( zh, 中華民國橄欖球協會) is the rugby union governing body in the Taiwan ( Republic of China). Because of Taiwan's complex relationship with the People's Republic of China, the union c ...
File:Flag of Chinese Taipei (WorldSkills).svg, Chinese Taipei WorldSkills
WorldSkills organizes the world championships of vocational skills and is held every two years in different parts of the world. The organization, which also hosts conferences about vocational skills, describes itself as the global hub for skills.
...
flag
File:Flag of Chinese Taipei (FRC).svg, Chinese Taipei FIRST Robotics Competition
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...
flag
File:Chinese Taipei Volleyball Flag.svg, Chinese Taipei volleyball flag
File:Chinese Taipei esports flag.svg, Flag of Chinese Taipei used in the Overwatch World Cup
The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international ''Overwatch'' esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer, with the first edition taking place in 2016. The tournament ran every year until 2019; after a t ...
.
See also
* Foreign relations of Taiwan
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, has full diplomatic relations with 13 of the 193 United Nations member states and with the Holy See (Vatican City). In addition to these relations, the ROC also maintains unofficial re ...
* History of the Republic of China
The history of the Republic of China begins after the Qing dynasty in 1912, when the Xinhai Revolution and the formation of the Republic of China put an end to 2,000 years of imperial rule. The Republic experienced many trials and tribulations a ...
* Sports in Taiwan
In Taiwan (Republic of China), some of the most prominent sports include badminton, baseball, basketball, football, softball, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball. Martial arts such as t'ai chi ch'uan and taekwondo are also practiced by many peop ...
* Chinese Taipei at the Olympics
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), competes as "Chinese Taipei" (TPE) at the Olympic Games since 1984. Athletes compete under the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag instead of the flag of the Republic of China; for any medal ceremony, the N ...
* Chinese Taipei at the Paralympics
The Republic of China (ROC) competes as Chinese Taipei at the Paralympic Games. The ROC first participated at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1992 and has competed in every summer games since then. The nation has never participated in the Winter Par ...
* Chinese Taipei at the AFC Asian Cup
* Chinese Taipei at the Asian Games
Chinese Taipei first competed at the Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (A ...
* Chinese Taipei at the Hopman Cup
* Chinese Taipei at the Universiade
"Chinese Taipei," the country designation under which Taiwan competes at international sports events, has participated in all editions of the Summer Universiade held since the 1989 Summer Universiade (the event's fourteenth year).
Medal count
...
References
External links
*
*
*
國民體育季刊 No. 156. Focus Topic: Olympic Model
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee
Official Website
{{Cross-Strait relations
Foreign relations of Taiwan
Politics of Taiwan
1981 establishments in Taiwan