Kudos to Rep. Tancredo for letter to the MLB on the name "Chinese Taipei"...Dear Commissioner Selig,(emphasis mine)
I was disappointed to learn that Major League Baseball will require the Taiwanese team to compete in the upcoming World Baseball Classic under the moniker "Chinese Taipei." I was also saddened to see that Taiwan is the only participant whose flag is not posted on the World Baseball Classic Website. Instead, the island republic is represented by its Olympic Committee banner rather than its national flag.
For more than 20 years, because of pressure from the People's Republic of China, athletes from the Republic of China (Taiwan) have been forced to compete under the name "Chinese Taipei" in the Olympic Games even though Taiwan is not subject to the control of the unelected government in Beijing. The playing of the ROC National Anthem and the display of the ROC national flag when Taiwan's athletes win medals is also not permitted. I understand this prohibition has even been extended to spectators in some cases. Why? Such restrictions seem particularly ridiculous when one contrasts the treatment of Taiwan with the treatment of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico's status as a U.S. territory is not in dispute - yet their athletes have never been forced to use the name "American San Juan" or compete under an alternative flag. So why is independent Taiwan subjected to these arbitrary requirements?
[Taiwan] [US] [China] [Chinese Taipei]
4 comments:
Hi. Just passing by. The answer to your question is economic, in nature. The US doesn't want to anger mainland China because it might cause severe financial difficulties in the states.
I certainly don't agree with the rationale, but that's what it is.
I was pissed when I saw the "Chinese Taipei" crap. MLB should have used the name Taiwan and told China to fuck off if they didn't like it. No one in America has even mentioned it and we are supposed to be supporting democracy around the world.
MLB is no different from any other Western business. They want to grow the game in China, and no doubt feel that allowing Taiwan to compete under the name of the island might jeopardize those efforts. Like Trey, I don't agree with the rationale, but unfortunately when it comes to China/Taiwan, business dictates policy.
The World Baseball Classic also has the endorsement of the International Baseball Federation, of which Taiwan is a member, under the name of, you guessed it, Chinese Taipei.
Yeah, the name "Chinese Taipei" is total bullshit. Especially when it comes to baseball. No body even watch any baseball in China anyway. If the PRC is not happy with Taiwan's participation under out rightful name, they can simply boycott the game. Who cares?
I guess one comforting thought for us Taiwanese is the fact we always beat the crap out of the Chinese team in these baseball touraments, whether it's under the name 'Taiwan', 'Chinese Taipei', 'ROC', or whatever.
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