Beijing's View of Taiwan's Olympic Medals
Hey, boys and girls, let's check out today's edition of the People's Daily and . . . Guess Beijing's Reaction!
Oh, OK, here's a hint. While the Taiwan papers report President Chen honoring the taekwando champs, check out the mainland's headline: "Chen Shui-Bian advocates "Taiwan Independence" by commending Olympic medallists"
(For extra flavor, all this under a colorful banner celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping.)
Of course, I might point out in the Taiwanese paper, there's a little extra zing too in the comment, "Because of Beijing's political suppression, Taiwan can neither fly its national flag nor have its national anthem played at any Olympic venue. Chen said the two taekwondo fighters have helped enhance Taiwan's visibility in the world arena."
Boy, I wonder how cross-Strait relations are going to play out for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.