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Did The CCP Violate Its Own Nationality Law to Cheat in the Winter Olympic Games?

There have been questions about whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cheated the world in sending athletes, who technically are not Chinese nationals, to represent China when competing in the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

China’s own law does not recognize dual citizenship. Article 3 of China’s Nationality Law states that, “Chinese citizens are not recognized as having dual nationality.” Article 8 states that foreign nationals who are approved for Chinese nationality “may no longer retain foreign nationality.” China’s National Immigration Administration explicitly states in the Instructions for Applying for Chinese Nationality,  “After being approved for Chinese nationality, you may not retain your foreign nationality.”

Rule 41 of Olympic Charter states that any competitor in the Olympic Games must be a national of the country of the NOC which is entering such competitor. A competitor who is a national of two or more countries at the same time may represent either one of them, as he may elect.

Therefore, since China does not allow dual citizenship, whichever athlete represents China in the Beijing Olympic Games must be of Chinese nationality and only of Chinese nationality. H or she cannot have another nationality from another country.

Eileen Gu, an American  whose mother was a Chinese American, represented China and won a gold medal and a silver one in freestyle skiing. However, in the United States Federal Register which publishes the list of people giving up their U.S. nationality, there is no such record for Gu,  indicating theat Gu may not have given up her U.S. citizenship and therefore she is not a Chinese national based on China’s own law. Gu didn’t answer her citizenship questions directly, but she said that she is American when she is in the United States and Chinese when she is  in China.

Jeremy Smith, the goalie of the hockey team Bridgeport Sound Tigers affiliated with the New York Islanders, was recruited to China’s national hockey team. Smith stated that he would not give up his U.S. citizenship and was told it would not be an issue.

The athletes may not be legal experts and may have been promised not to worry about the nationality issue. What should be scrutinized here is whether the CCP, in order to look good in the Olympics, is violating its own law.

Source: Epoch Times, February 15, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/2/15/n13578136.htm