Following its announcement in April that it would hold the IESF Asian Esports Championship in Chengdu, China in September, the International Esports Federation (IESF) issued a “Foreign Affairs Statement” dedicated solely to fully and publicly embracing the “One-China Principle.”
The IESF announced that the IESF Asian Esports Championship would take place in Chengdu, China, from Sept. 6-14 and serve as the final regional qualifier leading to the 16th World Esports Championship (WEC24) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
Interestingly enough, the IESF held its 10th Esports World Championship in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, in 2018, but did refer to the region as Chinese Taipei.
In case you are not familiar with the One-China Principle of the Chinese government, it states that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole and legal government representing the whole of China (which includes Taiwan).
Citing “foreign affairs issues” related to organizing the World Esports Championship Asia Regional Qualifiers and the World Esports Industry Development Conference (WEDC) in Mainland China in collaboration with Huati Esports (China National Cyber Games), the IESF made some strong public declarations, most notably that it fully respects and supports the One-China Principle of the People’s Republic of China, that Taiwan is a part of China, and that the government of the PRC is the sole legal government of China. Details from its announcement:
1. Since March 1st, 2024, when Huati Esports officially began to act as the authorized host of IESF official events, there has been thorough communication between Huati Esports and IESF, and several special foreign affairs meetings have been convened to organize future cooperation in Mainland China concerning various foreign affairs matters. As an international organization, we fully respect and support the “One-China Principle” of the “People’s Republic of China”, recognizing that there is only one China, Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government of China, as stipulated in the UN General Assembly resolution 2758 of October 25th, 1971.
2. Moving forward, we will continue to adhere strictly to the “One-China Principle”, fully comply with the “Nagoya Resolution” passed by the International Olympic Committee in 1979, and strictly follow the “Olympic model” in defining the names and emblems of the “Chinese Taipei” delegation participating in IESF events.
3. In the future, we will continue to give high priority to and handle sensitively all foreign affairs and activities involving Taiwan to ensure that they do not affect the normal business and foreign relations of IESF with any country.
The move is not surprising, as HRH Prince Faisal is the president of the IESF, his organization the Saudi Esports Federation is serving as the host for the world championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the end of this year, and Saudi-owned Savvy Games Group has invested in Chinese tournament organizer VSPO. All of this is a strong indicator that the Kingdom is highly interested in conducting business in China and willing to work closely—and align with—the Chinese government to get the job done.
Government’s around the world have differing positions on the One China Principle, or One China Policy, as it is referred to:
Saudi Arabia: It should be noted that in early 2023, while serving as Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud worked closely with China Foreign Minister Qin Gang to improve relations and set up a China-Gulf free trade zone.
“Prince Faisal said that Saudi Arabia regards relations with China as an important cornerstone of foreign relations, and that Saudi Arabia fully adheres to the one-China principle, according to the statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.” – Reuters, published on Jan. 30, 2023.
The European Union: “While the EU pursues its ‘One China’ policy and recognises the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, the EU and Taiwan have developed solid relations and close cooperation in a wide range of areas.” – “The European Union and Taiwan,” published by the EU on July 26, 2021
Russia: “Russia supports Beijing’s ‘One China’ policy on the issue of Taiwan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned U.S. President Joe Biden not to play with fire over the island.” – Reuters, July 29, 2023.
UK: “The UK Government says the dispute between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China should be resolved ‘through dialogue, in line with the views of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.’ It has no plans to recognise Taiwan as a state. The UK does support Taiwan’s participation in international organisations as an observer.” – UK House of Commons Research Briefing, “Taiwan: History, politics and UK relations,” published on March 28, 2024
United States: “The Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Administration describes itself as upholding a longstanding U.S. “one-China” policy, guided by the TRA, the three U.S.-PRC joint communiqués, and the Six Assurances. U.S.-Taiwan relations remain unofficial. U.S. government policy states that the United States does not support Taiwan independence, opposes unilateral changes to the cross-Strait status quo, is committed to meeting its TRA obligations to support Taiwan’s self-defense, and has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. U.S. policy, rarely stated publicly, is to treat Taiwan’s political status as unresolved.“ – “Taiwan: The Origins of the U.S. One-China Policy,” published on Sept. 27, 2023, by Congressional Research Service.