Taipei  - Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thursday asked the government to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, as some 150 senior government officials headed for the event.

"China has tried to use the Olympics to belittle Taiwan and downgrade it as a Chinese territory like Hong Kong and Macau. For this, the government of President Ma Ying-jeou must safeguard the dignity of Taiwan by boycotting the opening," said DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan.

He was referring to a new march order arranged by China, where the Taiwanese Olympic team enters the stadium before Hong Kong and Macau, although the Central African Republic is between Taiwan and Hong Kong as a buffer.

Cheng said the new order was a Chinese trick to create the impression that Taiwan, like Hong Kong and Macau, was part of China.

Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing has considered the island an integral part of the mainland that must be brought back to its fold if necessary by force.

The Beijing organizers decided to use a new, non-alphabetical, arrangement based on the number of strokes of the first character of each country's Olympic designation in simplified Chinese script.

President Ma, however, said the arrangement was acceptable, prompting angry protests by pro-independence groups, including the DPP.

Chang Liang-jen, vice chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, called on the public not to politicize the event, saying it was more important for the island to be able to take part in global sports activities, which could help increase Taiwan's international presence.

Wu Poh-hsiung, chairman of the ruling Nationalist Party or Kuomintang, left for Beijing to attend the opening event on Friday. (dpa)