The issue of whether or not the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay will include Taiwan will be resolved in April, a mainland official said on Wednesday.

 

"The question concerning whether the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay covers Taiwan or not will be answered in April when the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG) unveils the relay map," Li Weiyi, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press briefing.

 

The torch relay route has remained unclear so far, apart from the BOCOG revealing last month that the torch was expected to reach Mount Everest.

 

The Chinese authorities have repeated their hope that Taiwan could be included on the route.

 

Li previously said compatriots from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao had given their support to Beijing's Olympic bid and that the hosting of the Olympic Games was a grand event for the entire Chinese nation.

 

He said the Chinese mainland hoped that the Taiwan people could share the excitement of the Olympic torch relay.

 

However, the Taiwan authorities have insisted that the torch relay can only involve Taiwan if it is considered an "international" stop.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2007)