“Chinese Taipei” is not merely a fake place, but part of a strategic campaign by China to conquer Taiwan in the minds of the global public, forcing the international community to accept the fiction that China has authority over Taiwan, as I have written before in the Taipei Times (“Taiwan’s ‘Chinese Taipei’ problem,” May 22, page 8). If Taiwanese wish to be seen as Taiwan, they must fight back and contest this blatant discrimination and cognitive warfare. “Chinese Taipei” has not remained confined to the Olympics. “Chinese Taipei creep” has led to the widespread adoption of the term in numerous contexts to refer to Taiwan, leading to the false impression that it is a real place or identity. While international media have increasingly referred to the team as “Taiwan,” most sportscasters continue to use the false “Chinese Taipei” term.
