California State Assembly member Tri Ta has spoken out against the World Coffee Championships (WCC) changing the designation of Taiwan’s participants from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei” last Tuesday, April 28. He criticized the decision as a mistake stemming from political interference by the CCP.

In an interview with Central News Agency, Ta said he believes the WCC organizers made the wrong decision, as it undermines Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity on the international stage. He noted that the CCP interferes in many things related to Taiwan, sharing that he received a phone call from a Chinese consulate representative after he posted a photo with Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco Director-General David Wu (伍志翔) on social media.

Ta said the CCP has no right to interfere in the United States government and that he does not accept any instructions from the CCP. He said all levels of government need to raise their awareness of China’s influence and prevent this from happening again. Ta said the CCP has no right to interfere in California affairs, nor does it have the right to exert political pressure on any nonprofit organizations in California, such as the WCC under California’s nonprofit Specialty Coffee Association.

WCC’s change comes after Taiwanese barista Bala (林紹興) won the 2026 World Latte Art Championship on April 12.