A spectator at the Olympic opening ceremony (APP/Charlie Riedel)
The stakes at the Beijing Olympics
President Bush’s “mini-clash” with China over human rights seemed staged, said The Washington Post in an editorial. Before arriving in China for the Friday opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Bush criticized China for jailing dissidents, and China responded by telling the world to butt out of its internal affairs. If that’s the best we can do, the cause of human freedom may be the big loser in these Games.
China’s “prickly” riposte certainly “rings false,” said The Boston Globe in an editorial. Beijing is clearly using the Olympics for “political purposes—and not only to celebrate its emergence as a world power. For China’s rulers, the event is also a test of how much they can make international organizations and other governments play by Beijing’s rules.”
The big question now, said Jay Nordlinger in National Review Online, is what Bush will do while he’s on Chinese soil. Will he meet with dissidents, and encourage persecuted churches? If he does, he can still “wring” some good from these Games that the world somehow allowed—with “little protest”—to take place in a “police state.”
China might win a round at these Games, said USA Today in an editorial, by proving that dictatorships can be effective at accomplishing “Big Things.” But some day its citizens might stop buying into "the deep streak of nationalism the leadership uses to justify its tight control." Then China's "cavalier disregard" for their rights could prove its Achilles heel.
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Recent comments | 3 total
I don't think you do understand China. There may be some problems in human rights, but which coutry haven't any? Given that US is in possess of such a large population, it will necessarily meet lots of dilemmas. What China does currently is only to try to provide majority a peaceful and stable national enviornment. This country has stepped across numerous hardship that outsiders cannot imagine. Now it cherishes its peace and development. At least absolute majority people in China love their country and leaders. You should not only focus on some flimsy and unpersuasive attitudes which belong to a extraordinarily small number of Chinese people. I love USA and l love China too. I really hope Americans do not be too strict to China. If you listen to more Chinese people, you will comprehend me.
Hell's bells, no --- China is still the top violator of human rights, and looking at them building highways when the world's fossil fuels are depleting, they're still in Medieval times. No amount of pomp and circumstance can change their actions, only the Chinese can do that. Nationalism makes sick people - hear that Bush!
Top violator? Have you examined every single little tiny country in this world? You know your comment would serve perfectly as a one of those GRE arguments. If so, I'll thank you because I bet we'll all get high scores then since it's the thinnest argument ever in the history of the universe. And I'm sorry, is the US not building any highways? Are you guys deciding to just walk around the country right now? Good for you. How modern you are. And I wonder how the world's fossil fuels could possibly be depleting since America only consumes 2 million barrels of petro a year while Japan and China consumes one fourth of that. And finally I really don't think you should say anything about Nationalism just because you looked it up in the dictionary. Oh and I almost forgot, welcome to Beijing!
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