They don't all sing from the same hymnsheet on China's rebel island

TAIWAN: As far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned, Taiwan does not exist, writes Steven King

TAIWAN: As far as the International Olympic Committee is concerned, Taiwan does not exist, writes Steven King

No matter how brilliantly their athletes perform - and they do excel at taekwondo - one anthem you will not hear in Athens is The Three Principles of the People which, with a title like that, is perhaps a blessing.

They might call themselves "Team Taiwan" but should one of the Taiwanese athletes win gold, the Olympic anthem will be played and the Olympic flag raised.

As far as the IOC is concerned, Taiwan does not exist. Even $300,000 advertisements extolling the virtues of the island democracy have been removed from buses in Athens at the IOC's request following, one suspects, bullying from Beijing, host to the 2008 Games.

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At least China's "rebel province" is taking part in the Olympics, albeit as "Chinese Taipei"; at the United Nations and the World Health Organisation this nation and its population of 23 million people - the same as Scandinavia - are entirely unrepresented, unlike that undemocratic quasi-state the Palestinian Authority.

The People's Republic might outpunch Taiwan diplomatically and militarily, but the Red Dragon cannot help biting its own tail.

The more Beijing threatens, the less prepared the Taiwanese are to maintain the pretence that they are indeed part of China, even when they see themselves as China's legitimate government. The word independence - "splittism" in China's lexicon - is on everyone's lips here.

That is not to say there is a consensus on cross-straits relations - far from it. Around 40 per cent of Taiwanese are in favour of formalising over half a century of de facto independence.

Ten per cent, mainly the last of those who fled to the island with Chiang Kai-shek in 1949, support reunification with the mainland, though on terms unacceptable to Beijing. Half the population seek to perpetuate the increasingly untenable status quo.

There is a left-right divide in Taiwanese politics, but it cuts a little curiously.

The "Blues", the Kuomintang that ruled for 40 years, are corrupt, authoritarian and have enough money to make even Sinn Féin blanch, but have a reputation for sound economic management.

The majority in the parliament, the Legislative Yuan, at least until December's elections, they have the pro-reunification vote sewn up and are seen as more conciliatory towards the "Reds"

The "Greens", made up largely of President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party, are more centrist economically, but periodically come out with pro-independence rhetoric that infuriates Taiwan's main ally, Washington, nearly as much as it does Beijing.

The Bush administration came in full of ideological sympathy for Taiwan, but since 9/11 has courted China as an unlikely ally in the "war against terrorism".

Not that China is playing hard to get: combating international terrorism is a convenient cover for suppressing the Muslim Uighur people in East Turkestan.

One other Taiwanese party is worthy of mention. The Green Party, conveniently, are part of the "Green" rather than "Blue" bloc but if Taipei, home to a third of the population is anything to go by, they have their work cut out.

When the Portuguese arrived in 1590 they named it Ilha Formosa - Beautiful Island. Decades of pretty unbridled capitalism have left a mark: Taiwan stinks. Anyone who has been to Singapore and found it a shade antiseptic would forgive it after a few days choking in Taipei.

No wonder so many Taiwanese billionaires cannot bear to live here, preferring to control their assets from the relative verdure of California.

Cleaning up the environment is less of a priority for the recently (just about) re-elected President Chen than securing a $20 billion US arms deal to restore some kind of balance of forces across the straits.

Beijing accuses Chen of "playing with fire" and threatens to retake Taiwan "at any cost" should it declare independence. China recently invaded one of the islands it does control using 18,000 seaborne troops.

Taiwan desperately wants to counter that threat with offensive weapons that could strike at cities on the mainland.

So bad are relations currently that Taiwanese vice-president Annette Lu last week referred to a state of 'semi-war'. The potential for further deterioration is huge.

President Chen has promised a new constitution by 2008 to replace the Republic of China constitution the nationalists brought with them in 1949.

Such a revised document will, presumably, have to give this entity a name and a description.

"The Independent Republic of Taiwan" would seem natural enough, but might provoke more than verbal volleys.

And the fact that such an attack would coincide with the politico-nationalistic orgy that will inevitably be the Beijing Olympics? That apparently troubles the People's Republic not one bit.

Just to highlight Beijing's paranoia, their medals haul in Athens stands at 12 golds, eight silvers and five bronzes.

"Chinese Taipei", so far, hasn't got one of any colour.

Dr Steven King is an adviser to the Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble.