Taiwanese will be voting on November 24 on removing the title of "China Taipei" in competing on the 2020 Summer Olympics and will use the name "Taiwan" instead. This highly controversial referendum will be provoking Beijing, and the island's government will be facing a political dilemma if ever it has been passed.
According to the South China Morning Post, the referendum is asking Taiwanese on using the name "Taiwan" in 2020 Olympics as well as in other international sports events rather than using "China Taipei" - a title used since 1981. The referendum is condemned by Beijing as a prelude of Taiwan in attempting to change cross-strait status quo and declare independence - a move that may prompt the mainland to attack.
Yoshi Liu, the spokesman of Team Taiwan Campaign for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, said his group thinks International Olympic Committee (IOC) treated them unfairly as the island is required in competing for global sporting events under the "China Taipei" title instead of using names like "Taiwan." Liu noted the island already used the title "Taiwan" or "Formosa" in the Olympics back in the in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968 - their campaign is aiming to revert those former titles.
The referendum allows eligible voters to decide whether they wanted to accept the "humiliating title" which gives the impression that the island was a part of China, Liu added. Taiwan's Central Election Commission announced last month the campaign - started in January - has gathered the support of 430,000 people signing the petition to hold the referendum, which is about twice the 281,745 required.
Liu admitted that the majority of the supporters come from the pro-independence camp, but he said that it also won the support of politically neutral bigwigs such as Chi Cheng, the first female Olympics medalist of Taiwan who also co-led the campaign.
Beijing, on the other hand, warned Taiwan last month that it will be swallowing its "own bitter fruit" and might be sacrificing the chances of athletes in competing on the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee from Beijing stated in October that the mainland "will not sit by if the vote is passed." The defense ministry of the mainland also sees the vote as a prelude for Taiwan in declaring independence.
Still, pro-independence supporters on the island remain positive that the referendum will pass. George Chang Tsang-hung, a former chairman of the World United Formosans for Independence and ex-mayor of Tainan in southern Taiwan, is also confident that it will be passed given the fact that many people signed the petition. Liu also said the name change isn't a political campaign in declaring the island's independence. He said it's merely a public wish for athletes to using the name "Taiwan" when competing in the Olympics.
