TAIPEI: The largest delegation of Chinese Olympians ever to visit Taiwan kicked off their trip Sunday as officials voiced hopes that sports exchanges between the two sides would continue despite worsening relations. The group of 15 Rio Olympics gold medallists in cycling, weight-lifting, taekwondo, shooting, women’s volley ball, and athletics will share their experiences with their Taiwanese counterparts and students during the five-day visit, organisers said. The visiting Olympians include Zhang Mengxue, who won China’s first gold medal at the Rio Games in women’s 10m air pistol, and three players from the women’s volleyball team that claimed gold after a 12-year wait. The trip comes as relations with China have grown increasing frosty since Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party won the presidency in January. Beijing has suspended official contacts with Taipei after Tsai’s government took office in May, as it fails to publicly accept the “one China” principle which governed ties with her predecessor. Taiwan has accused China of pressuring a number of countries to deport Taiwanese fraud suspects to China rather than their home territory, and blamed Beijing for blocking it from attending various international events. Sports officials hope the visit will help promote exchanges in their fields despite growing political tensions.