China Welcomes Taiwanese Athletes at the Asian Games but They Still Can’t Compete Under Their Flag

Taiwan's athletes and team officials arrive during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, on Sept. 23, 2023. Lee Jin-man/AP Photo

SHAOXING, China—Taiwan’s baseball team took the field Tuesday sporting caps and jerseys not with “T” for Taiwan, but “CT,” for Chinese Taipei.

China claims the democratic self-governing island as its own, and a decades-old agreement between Taipei and Beijing means that Taiwanese teams can only compete internationally if they don’t use the name—or flag—of Taiwan.