Taiwan compatriots are welcome to participate in activities
relating to the Beijing Olympic Games next year although the
Olympic torch relay cannot pass through Chinese Taipei, said a
Chinese mainland official on Wednesday.
Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, said the Chinese mainland welcomes Taiwan compatriots to
take part in Olympic-related activities such as cultural and sports
exchanges, trainings and matches, and voluntary activities.
Li said the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games
(BOCOG) had shown sufficient patience and sincerity during the
process of communicating the issue with concerned organization in
Taiwan , however, the Taiwan authorities refused the goodwill for
political consideration.
"Nothing I can do but sigh," he said.
Li said the Chinese mainland would try its best to make the
players of Chinese Taipei delegation take charter flights to
Beijing, which also needs the cooperation of the Taiwan
authorities.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cancelled the plan
of the Olympic torch relay passing through Chinese Taipei, it was
announced by a spokesman of the BOCOG on Friday.
The spokesman said that on Thursday, Tsai Chen-wei from Chinese
Taipei Olympic Committee said in a letter to BOCOG that the Chinese
Taipei Olympic Committee would not have further discussions with
BOCOG on the issue of the Olympic torch relay passing through
Chinese Taipei and thus closed the door of the discussion.
BOCOG expresses its deep regrets that the Olympic torch relay in
the end will not be held in Chinese Taipei and the high
expectations of the Taiwan compatriots to pass the Olympic flame
will not be realized, the spokesman said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2007)