Qatar under fire for treating Taiwan as part of China in World Cup app

Organizers of November's soccer World Cup in Qatar, launched its Hayya card app this week, which aims to facilitate soccer fans' access to the country and games.

In the initial version of the app, there was no option for fans from Taiwan to register for their Hayya card. 

As of Wednesday, Taiwan was listed in the dropdown menu of nationalities as "Taiwan, Province of China". 

However, amid huge backlash it was later altered to only "Taiwan." 

Yet a separate section of the app where users are requested to enter where they currently live continued to include "Taiwan, Province of China", reports Bloomberg

Taiwan said that identifying its citizens as Chinese "belittles our country." 

It asked the organisers to immediately fix the issue to "respect the rights and dignity of Taiwanese fans who plan to go and watch the games," Joanne Ou, the spokeswoman for Taiwan's foreign ministry, said via text message. 

"This unfriendly move by the organisers against Taiwan not only shifts the focus away from the game, but will also face international judgment and blame, which negatively affects the development of international competitions," she said.

Qatar's World Cup organising committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The app landed the World Cup organisers in the middle of one of the world's most sensitive geopolitical disputes. 

While Beijing claims the island as part of its territory, democratically ruled Taiwan rejects being a part of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan's government asserts it is a de facto independent country awaiting wider international recognition. 

China and Taiwan are separate members of soccer's world governing body, FIFA, with Taiwan competing in international competition under the name "Chinese Taipei". Neither team qualified for this year's World Cup. 

The dispute comes amid increasing efforts by Beijing to deny Taiwan status in the international arena. The Chinese government regularly condemns any contact between Taiwan and other countries or moves that imply sovereignty for the island. It has also pressured international companies, including airlines, hotels and clothing companies, to refer to Taiwan as a province of China on their websites and packaging.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he wasn't aware of the situation. "I would like to reiterate that Taiwan is part of China," Wang told a regular news briefing Wednesday in Beijing.