Less than one year before the Olympic Games are held in China, the ruling Communist Party faces a growing movement for political change. Taiwan has applied for a seat in the UN. However, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced it is impossible to accept a membership application from Taipei.

Since 1971 the Republic of China is recognized as the only legitimate representative for Chinese territory by the UN’s General Assembly. After losing the Chinese Civil War to the Communist Party of China in 1949, Beijing claims Taiwan as a province of China.