Taiwan will not send official representatives to the Winter Olympics ceremonies in Beijing due to Covid-related restrictions and air traffic disruptions, the Taiwanese sports body announced on Friday. The move comes at a time when relations between Beijing and Taipei are at their lowest in decades, with China stepping up military and economic pressure on the territory with its own democratic government. The Taiwan Sports Administration said in a statement late Friday that the 15-member official delegation will not attend the opening and closing ceremonies due to “pandemic prevention measures and flight scheduleswhich, according to her, would not allow everyone to arrive in Beijing on time. A small team of four Taiwanese athletes must, however, take part in the events. China considers Taiwan a rebel province and has vowed to one day take the island, by force if necessary. A record number of Chinese fighter jets have carried out incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz) in recent months, and the People’s Liberation Army regularly holds drills simulating an invasion. Beijing has been mounting pressure on Taipei since the 2016 election as Taiwan president of Tsai Ing-wen, who believes the island is a sovereign nation and not part of China. In 2008, when relations were better, a large Taiwanese delegation attended the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The question of Taiwan’s representation at the Olympics has been a subject of disagreement between Beijing and Taipei for decades. Under an agreement reached in 1981, Taiwan participates in the Olympics under the banner of “Chinese Taipei“. This compromise allows Taiwan to take part in sports competitions without presenting itself as a sovereign nation.