OLYMPICS:China unveiled the world's most politically charged flame yesterday, when it outlined the route for the Olympic torch relay and said the symbol would pass through political rivals Taiwan.
The torch, a red-and-silver tube resembling a traditional Chinese scroll, will cover 135 cities and 137,000 kms next year in advance of the games, which begin on August 8th. Organisers even intend to run the relay torch across the top of Everest - the world's tallest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet).
The torch was launched at a ceremony in Beijing attended by senior members of the ruling Communist Party and the International Olympic Committee. Organisers said the torch would pass through Europe, the Americas, Africa and many Asian countries.
The two most disputed points which the torch will pass through are Taipei and Tibet, while it will also be carried through Pyongyang, capital of the famously secretive international pariah state North Korea.
China considers Taiwan a renegade province since the two split after the 1949 Civil War won by the communists, while self-ruled Taiwan leans towards independence. Beijing and Taipei had held discussions about the route over past months, both keen to boost their opposing positions.
Taiwan's Olympic Committee issued a statement after the relay announcement saying China was involved in "political machinations aimed at downgrading our status in the IOC" and rejected the route as outlined by Beijing.
"This is an attempt by China to engineer the relay route so that Chinese Taipei is included in China's domestic relay route, thereby obviously undermining our sovereign status. We resolutely reject this," ran the statement.
Bringing the torch to Tibet has already caused controversy after four US citizens - including a Tibetan-American - were detained at Everest base camp protesting Tibetan rights.
They unfurled a banner reading, "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008", in English, and one in Tibetan and Chinese saying: "Free Tibet."
China has kept a tight rein on Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops occupied the region in 1950 and says it is determined to bring prosperity to the impoverished area.
Tibet's top communist official Zhang Qingli said running the relay through Lhasa provided a "golden" development opportunity. The torch will enter Tibet after climbing the southern slope of Everest.
Pyongyang is probably the most politically sensitive point the torch will visit. When the North Koreans detonated a nuclear device last year the country became an international pariah, although tensions have eased since Kim Jong-il's regime agreed to break down its nuclear programme.
