Taiwan 'firmly oppose' Beijing's designs at Winter Olympics
Feb 20, 2022
Taipei [Taiwan], February 20 : After an Olympics spokeswoman used a news event for remarks on Taiwan and Xinjiang, Taipei on Friday rebuked Chinese 'propaganda' at Beijing Winter Olympics.
Yan Jiarong, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), on Thursday, spoke of China's position regarding Taiwan at a news conference attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesman Mark Adams, reported Taipei Times.
"What I want to say is that there is only one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. This is a widely recognized principle of international relations and a consensus in international society," the former UN envoy said.
Yan also responded similarly to questions concerning Xinjiang, calling reports about forced labour camps in the region "a lie" told by "some groups with malicious intentions," reported Taipei Times.
Rebuking China, the Taiwan government said that Beijing is for using Winter Olympics to assert its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, saying that China had "cast a shadow" over the peaceful spirit of the event to spread propaganda.
The Ministry also criticized China for spreading "inappropriate" political propaganda at the Olympics, saying that Beijing had breached the rule of political neutrality enshrined in the Olympic Charter.
"No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas," the charter says.
Mainland Affairs Council said that "the people of Taiwan firmly oppose" Beijing's "one China" principle, reported Taipei Times.
"The Republic of China is a sovereign state, and Taiwan has never been part of the People's Republic of China," the council said, adding that it condemned China for interfering with international sports activities by asserting its politics.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected Yan's claims as untrue and said that the remarks "undermined the integrity of Taiwan's sovereignty," reported Taipei Times.
Yan's comments have also caused concern for IOC president Thomas Bach, who sidestepped questions about Xinjiang at the Games' opening ceremony, citing political neutrality, reported Taipei Times.
"We were in touch with BOCOG immediately after this press conference," the New York Times cited Bach as saying on Thursday.
"Both organizations, BOCOG and the IOC, have restated the unequivocal commitment to remain politically neutral, as it is required by the Olympic Charter," said IOC president, reported Taipei Times.
