A Taiwanese taekwondo athlete raises the Chinese flag at the awards ceremony.
Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Li Dong-hsien raised the Chinese flag during the award ceremony for the men’s individual taekwondo poomsae event at the 2023 Jeonbuk Asia-Pacific Masters Games held at the Muju Taekwondo Center on April 14-15, according to Taiwanese media outlets such as the Free Press. The tournament is a global celebration of living athletes and attracted 14,177 living athletes from 71 countries around the world.
At the time, Li was competing as a Taiwanese national at the event, but after winning the bronze medal, he held up the Tricolor to promote China.
A Taiwanese taekwondo athlete raising the Wu Sheng Hong flag at the awards ceremony after winning a bronze medal. [Photo source=Weibo-Yonhap].
The Continental Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s body in charge of mainland China메이저놀이터, said that Li’s actions “will be dealt with in accordance with the law after determining the facts, including whether he has joined the Chinese Communist Party and whether he has organized activities for China in Taiwan.”
Under the Cross-Strait Relations Ordinance and related laws, Taiwanese can be fined between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000 (about US$4.3 million and US$21.57 million) if they join the CCP and become party members or hold positions in China’s party, government, or military.
He added that the government will also consider amending the ordinance to prohibit Taiwanese athletes from making political propaganda for China when they compete in competitions or stand at award ceremonies.
“He did not apply to the (Taiwan) Taekwondo Association or the Ministry of Physical Education to be selected as an athlete, but applied to participate in the Masters as an individual,” said Chung Wen-chan, deputy chief administrator.
“It is understood that Li has been living in China for a long time and participated in the Communist Party,” he said, adding, “The government will deal with the matter according to relevant laws.”
The previous day, Legislative Council member Liu Fang had urged authorities to investigate whether Li had obtained Chinese citizenship.
If Li wore a “Chinese Taipei” uniform for the purpose of winning a medal, he said, Taiwan should inform the South Korean side that it never sent Li to compete and revoke his award.
In response, Taiwanese media said that Li joined the Chinese Communist Party on July 1 last year, and that she had also won a bronze medal at a taekwondo poomsae competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2017, where she walked onto the podium carrying the Chinese Five Star Red Flag.
Huang Yueting training in a Chinese national team uniform. [Photo source=Taiwan Free Press-Yonhap].
Meanwhile, another legislator said the legislature could also consider disciplinary action against Taiwan’s national speed skater Huang Yuting, who posted a video on social media showing her training in a Chinese national team uniform at the Beijing Winter Olympics last year.
At the time, Huang was suspended by Taiwanese authorities from competing and assisting in training for two years, before announcing her retirement, saying she was “physically and psychologically exhausted.”