Taiwan has accepted the Beijing Organizing Committee’s torch route through Taiwan. The route was initially rejected not because of the path not because of the direction, but the way that Beijing said that Taiwan was the first “domestic” stopover for the torch.

China views Taiwan as a state of its country, while Taiwan generally see itself as an independent state.

“The two sides are only one step away from signing an agreement [on the torch route], but that step may be one step too far if side issues are raised,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Chen Ming-tong said.

Read more: Olympic torch relay route `acceptable,’ Premier Chang says