Taiwan, China lock horns over name change by FIFA host Qatar

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Taiwan has accused China of "bullying" Qatar into changing the self-ruled island's name yet again as the Gulf state gears up to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

“Shame on authoritarian China for bullying Qatar (FIFA) 2022 organizers into deleting democratic Taiwan and scoring an own goal. Shame!” tweeted Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The row over names started when Qatar identified Taiwan on its online visa portal for the World Cup as "Taiwan, Province of China.”

Upon a request by Taipei, the name was changed to Taiwan triggering a strong reaction from China, which considers the island its breakaway province. Taiwan insists on its independence since 1949 with full diplomatic relations with at least 14 nations.

As the controversy lingered on, Doha changed the entry to "Chinese Taipei."

Beijing praised the name change and Doha's commitment to the One-China principle.

“Taiwan is part of China. The one-China principle is a basic norm governing international relations and shared consensus of the international community,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, on Monday.

Qatar, like most of the UN member states, does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, home to over 24 million people.

It is for the first time that the upcoming FIFA World Cup is being held in winter and in a Gulf state.