Indonesia has replaced Taiwan as host of an Asian youth volleyball championship scheduled for July due to China's objection, the island's sports association said Wednesday, days after the victory of an independence-leaning party candidate in Taiwan's presidential election over the weekend.
China lodged a protest last month to the Asian Volleyball Confederation, the governing body for the sport in the region, pointing out that it could not send a team to the tournament for men under 20 years old, citing "complexities in cross-Taiwan Strait political relations," the island's association said.
The regional body was asked to "reconsider" the host of the event, which serves as Asia's qualification tournament for a men's 2025 under-21 world volleyball championship, it added.
The regional entity adopted a resolution at an extraordinary meeting Monday to hold the tournament in Indonesia instead of Taiwan, the island's association said, adding that it respects the decision but "deeply regrets" it.
The move came after voters of the self-ruled democracy picked Vice President Lai Ching-te, who heads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, as the island's next president in the leadership contest Saturday.
Communist-led China views Taiwan as being part of its territory and aims to bring the island into its fold, by force if necessary. Beijing has slammed Lai as an independence advocate and "troublemaker."
The two sides have been governed separately since splitting in 1949 due to a civil war.
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