SCA’s World Coffee Championships Changes ‘Taiwan’ to ‘Chinese Taipei’

An April 2025 press release photo from the Specialty Coffee Association showing the finalists of the 2026 World Latte Art Championship finalists at World of Coffee San Diego, including first-place finisher Bala of Taiwan.

The World Coffee Championships (WCC), produced by a wholly owned subsidiary of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), has changed the national designation for Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei.”

The move, which took effect April 28 and was first reported by the Taipei Times, has drawn swift and pointed criticism from some political leaders and members of the Taiwanese coffee community, including allegations of Chinese corporate and political influence.

Since 1981, Taiwan has competed as “Chinese Taipei” at the Olympics and other major international sporting events — a compromise reflecting Beijing’s “One China” stance that does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation.

The SCA/WCC made the move without without prior public announcement. A statement on the WCC homepage said it was an administrative update made “in alignment with the naming conventions used by international sporting bodies,” stating it does not affect competitor eligibility, qualification pathways or the competition experience.

The change appeared retroactively across the WCC’s website, YouTube channel and previously published competition rankings. 

Taiwan has competed in WCC events under its own name since 2007. The change came just weeks after a Taiwanese barista known as Bala won the 2026 World Latte Art Championship in San Diego.

In a statement, the Taiwan Coffee Association, which runs WCC-sanctioned competitions in Taiwan, said it did not initiate the change and has worked for nearly 20 years to keep the Taiwan name in national and international competitions. The group described the use of “Chinese Taipei” moving forward as an unavoidable condition for participation.

Berg Wu, the 2016 World Barista Champion representing Taiwan, wrote on Facebook that “for me and many people in Taiwan’s coffee community, this is not simply a technical or administrative update.” Wu questioned the WCC’s apparent removal of the Taiwan name from its websites, social channels and other records.

“Changing past and future records from Taiwan to Chinese Taipei raises serious questions about process, consistency, and respect for the competitors and the community involved,” Wu wrote. 

Lin Chu-yin, a Taiwanese legislator from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) who also uses the English name Michelle Lin, criticized the change in a public statement. Lin alleged Chinese pressure and said she asked Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the reason for the change and formally protest to the organizers.

Influential Taiwanese coffee media outlet AD Cafe urged supporters to speak out against the change, writing, “The implications of this name change reach beyond competition results. They touch one of the most foundational values in specialty coffee: traceability.”

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