China welcomes Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games but they still can’t compete under their flag

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press

SHAOXING, China (AP) — China has gone out of its way to welcome the Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games. It’s part of its two-pronged strategy with the goal of taking over the self-ruled island that involves both wooing its people and threatening it militarily. Unlike the Beijing Winter Olympics last year where Taiwan only sent four athletes, there are more than 500 for the Asian Games. It provides China with a golden opportunity to put on a welcoming face not only for the competitors but for their fans watching from home in Taiwan. But at the same time, the Taiwanese can’t even compete under their own name or flag, instead using “Chinese Taipei” as part of an decades-old agreement between the two sides.