Taipei, July 5 -- Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) declared on Thursday that it is undertaking "a more careful evaluation" of this year's Kinmen-Xiamen Strait Crossing Swim, amid rising worries that the event might be cancelled for the first time due to political strain, Focus Taiwan reported.

The 13th annual relay competition, covering a distance of 7 km across the waters between Taiwan-controlled Kinmen and China's Xiamen, is set for July 26.

However, MAC Deputy Head Liang Wen-chieh cautioned that the swim has increasingly evolved into a United Front initiative, driven by authorities from Xiamen City and the Fujian province with political intentions beyond just sports, according to Focus Taiwan.

Liang noted, "The nature of thi...