China is accusing NBC of playing "political tricks" and says it displayed an "incomplete" map of the country during its coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony.
In a statement, the Chinese Consulate said that NBC didn't include Taiwan or the South China Sea in a map that was displayed during the parade of athletes, and by doing so, it "hurt the dignity and emotions of the Chinese people," reports Fox News.
"The map is an expression of the national territory, symbolizing national sovereignty and territorial integrity," the consulate said in its statement. "We urge NBC to recognize the serious nature of this problem and take measures to correct the error ... attempts to use the Olympic Games to play political ‘tricks’ and self-promotion to achieve ulterior motives will never succeed."
The statement also said China has "always firmly opposed the politicization of sports and actions that violate the spirit of the Olympic Charter. This is also the consensus of relevant
The United States doesn't officially recognize the independence of Taiwan but does engage in a diplomatic relationship with the country.
China's statement about NBC comes after the country's Foreign Ministry on Friday announced sanctions against seven people, including former President Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in response to Biden administration sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong.
The Chinese sanctions are the first the country has imposed under a new anti-foreign sanction law and were issued days before Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is to visit China.
The Chinese also imposed "reciprocal counter-sanctions" on current and former representatives of several organizations that include the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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