In an Olympic contest between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China, the PRC faces a seemingly insoluble problem.

It’s one thing for the PRC, that is, “Communist” China, to order intimidation flights of fighter planes around Taiwan, the island home of the ROC, “Nationalist” China, but quite another to report on a gold medal badminton match between PRC and ROC teams.

Even as the Taiwan press reported Chinese jets and ships encircling the island, as they do every day, two Taiwan athletes were receiving gold medals for defeating their mainland rivals in the badminton doubles.

That was too much for China Central TV, which simply did not broadcast the medals ceremony after having ignored much of the match, showing off when the PRC team was doing well, otherwise switching to palatable fare.

CCTV “cut off abruptly after the match ended, and only started midway,” said Radio Free Asia. 

 “The live footage was also apparently directed to ensure that audience shots were kept to a minimum, as the Taiwanese fans yelled ‘Taiwan’ and ‘Taiwan No. 1,’” RFA reported. The mainland broadcaster “only allowed 40 minutes of the 76-minute match to air, switching over to coverage of men’s gymnastics as soon as the match ended.”

It wasn’t just a matter of not wanting the mainland’s 1.4 billion people ogling the two smiling Taiwan gold medalists, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, front and center on the podium while China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang stood behind them with silver medals draped around their necks.  

There was also the embarrassment of the anthems and the flags. The loudspeaker blared out the ROC national flag anthem, not quite the same as the ROC national anthem but still not fit for Chinese ears. 

Then there was the flag itself. The ROC flag is officially banned for the Olympics, even for Taiwan fans anywhere in the venue.  

Joining the games as “Chinese Taipei,” compelled to avoid “Taiwan” in its Olympic name, Taiwan instead flaunts its plum blossom flag showing five Olympic rings against its national flower. That symbol of the Nationalist Chinese Kuomintang regime that fled to the island as Mao’s Red Army was taking over the mainland in 1949 is also, of course, anathema to Beijing — not fit for Chinese eyes.

Beijing, no doubt not happy Taiwan was in the games at all, coordinated a campaign to silence Taiwan fans. In one match, video showed a fan tearing up a sign held aloft in the stands saying, “Go Taiwan.” Defying Olympic officials and Chinese from the mainland, said RFA, Taiwanese in the crowd were heard singing along, the lyrics clearly audible on the uncensored live footage.

The Chinese were ready to respond. Taiwan News reported images and videos “showing a Chinese woman directing security guards to confiscate banners from Taiwanese fans cheering on Taiwan’s badminton duo.” The woman was talking to guards “dictating the security and volunteers to confiscate all banners related to Taiwan,” said Taiwan News. Then she “handed out souvenirs to security and volunteers to thank them for their ‘cooperation.’”

Taiwan’s foreign ministry protested after a security guard caught a fan lofting a sign saying in French, “Bon Courage” with images of the Taiwan badminton doubles team. Taiwan fans “were able to wave their signs without any interference in the first game and much of the second game,” said Taiwan News, but “as the second game was about to end, a security guard went into the crowd and began grabbing signs.”

Officially and unofficially, Taiwanese were ecstatic over Messrs. Lee and Wang’s victory — the first gold for Taiwan in the games.  For their triumph, they were in for bonuses totalling $1.5 million.

The People’s Republic of China, second only to America in the gold medal count, had yet to spread the word of the Taiwan victory. Instead, the state paper Global Times berated Chinese fans, presumably mainlanders as well as Taiwanese, for cheering and jeering too enthusiastically.

“Where does this aggressive fan culture come from?” asked a Global Times commentary. “What do these fans hope to achieve? Is this really representative of Chinese sports fans as a whole? These are questions that are being raised as the debate continues.”