Taiwan condemns Qatar for 'politicising' World Cup amid China spat

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned organisers of the World Cup in Qatar on Wednesday

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned organisers of the World Cup in Qatar on Wednesday for saying Taiwanese fans may be listed as being from China, and demanded organisers not allow "improper political factors" to interfere in sporting events, Qazet.az reports.

The issue is extremely sensitive for democratically-governed Taiwan, which bristles at China's claims of sovereignty over it, and particularly its giant neighbour's efforts to claim people from Taiwan as being from China.

All World Cup ticketholders must apply for the Hayya card used to identify fans, which also serves as their entry visa for Qatar.

By Wednesday, the online system was listing "Taiwan, Province of China", terminology that equally angers Taiwan's government and many of its people, though it did also include a Taiwanese flag, a symbol anathema to China's government.

Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said it was "unacceptable to belittle our country" and they were looking for organisers to make an "immediate correction of their ways".

"The Foreign Ministry again calls on the organisers of the World Cup to not allow improper political factors to interfere with simple sports activities and tarnish sporting venues that value fair competition and emphasise the spirit of the athletes," she added.

Taiwan competes at most international sporting events, like the Olympics, as "Chinese Taipei" to avoid political problems with Beijing.

China, seeking to assert its sovereignty claims, has been stepping up pressure for countries and foreign companies to refer to Taiwan as part of China in official documents and on websites, often using the wording "Taiwan, Province of China", or "Taiwan, China".

Taiwan has never played at the World Cup finals and crashed out in the second round of Asian nations qualifying for the 2022 tournament last year after losing all eight matches.