Taiwan warns China against politicising sports after table tennis star seen in 'united front' event

Taipei [Taiwan], June 8 : Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday urged Chinese authorities not to exploit sports exchanges for "united front" propaganda, following Taiwanese table tennis star Lin Yun-ju's participation in a controversial pregame event in China, Taipei Times reported.

Lin, Taiwan's top-ranked male paddler, was seen wearing a red scarf, a symbol of the Chinese Young Pioneers, during an event in Shandong province. The red scarf is associated with China's Communist Youth League and is traditionally worn by Chinese elementary school students. Photos and videos circulating online showed Lin singing a patriotic song, I Love You, China, alongside children also wearing red scarves.

At a press briefing in Taipei, MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh stated that Lin was "unknowingly" made to participate and was "manipulated" into the activity by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). "We believe this was an attempt by the CCP to use the incident for 'united front' propaganda," Liang said.

According to Taipei Times, the MAC emphasised that professional cross-strait exchanges should not involve political manipulation or CCP-led ideological messaging. "However, the CCP often uses various exchange occasions to carry out 'united front' propaganda, undermining the original intent of such exchanges," the council said.

Lin's agent told the Liberty Times that the athlete had gone to Shandong purely to compete in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League and had no political intention. Lin's team, Shandong Weiqiao, won the men's team title last year with Lin as a key member.

While it remains uncertain whether Lin's participation violates Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which bars Taiwanese citizens from political cooperation with Chinese entities, ET today cited an unnamed official saying Lin had expressed discomfort at the event and was not informed in advance.

The MAC has called on China to stop politicising cultural and sports exchanges.

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