A few months ago it was proposed that the Olympics might be an economic and political blessing for China. Observers hoped that the Games would spur trade, increase cultural contact and reduce the incidence of human rights abuses in the country. There are still upheavals in Tibet, though according to a report dated July 4th, China has agreed to hold more talks with the Dalai Lama’s representatives. It is questionable whether these talks have been fruitful. On July 7th China once again urged the Dalai Lama to show support for the Olympics with the possible motive of linking this backing with future talks. An official spokesman for the Xinhua News Agency re-iterated previously announced conditions for continued talks, such as the demand that the Dalai Lama end his support for Tibetan independence and that he limit the “violent terrorist” activities of the Tibetan Youth Congress and other “criminal” organizations.
These demands have been given a new paint job as the “four not-supports.” In an interview quoted in an ‘Associated Press’ report, Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department, which is in charge of the negotiations with the Dalai Lama, told the Tibetan representatives that the Dalai Lama must “openly and explicitly promise with action not to support activities that disrupt the Beijing Olympics.”
The fact that the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that he is not seeking Tibetan independence and that he supports the Beijing Olympics seems to have had little effect on China’s attitude. A spokesman for Du stated in the same report that: “If the Dalai’s side fails to accept and manage such a simple and commonsensical ‘four not-support,’ then the necessary atmosphere and conditions could hardly be met for further contact.” The Tibetan negotiators have said that another round of talks is scheduled for October, but they wish that Beijing had taken “more tangible” steps during the talks. The Tibetans expressed the desire that the Chinese government would agree to issue a joint statement committing the two sides to talks.
Some eyewitnesses have wondered if Beijing agreed to talks with the Tibetans to ease international tensions before the Olympics began. Since March, when China cracked down on Tibetan protests, human rights groups have been calling for a boycott of the Olympics by world leaders. George W. Bush, who had rejected calls to boycott the Olympics, but had not confirmed that he would be attending the Opening Ceremonies, stated on July 3rd that he would be there. White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino announced that: “The president and Mrs. Bush will attend the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games on Aug. 8. He believes he’s going to China to support first and foremost our athletes. He sees this as a sporting competition. Mr. Bush will discuss human rights and religious freedoms with Chinese President Hu Jintao when they meet in China in August and on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Japan next week.”
Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, made a similar feint. Initially Sarkozy, who stated that he would boycott the Olympic Games in the 2007 French presidential campaign because of China’s attitude towards Tibet, has now announced that he will attend the ceremonies. The declaration has annoyed some human rights groups who have called the French president a “coward.” Reporters Without Borders’ Vincent Brossel, the spokesman of the group, stated in an interview with Peter O’Neil, European Correspondent for Canwest News Service, that : “We had hoped Sarkozy would be a chief of state with a real commitment to human rights.”
Brossel feels that Sarkozy was pushed into a position of comprise by the Chinese. Chinese nationalists had been urging consumers to boycott the French-owned Carrefour supermarkets in the country. Furthermore, the ‘China Daily,’ according to the Reuters news agency, had made the statement that: “Chinese people do not want French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.” Such statements and actions concerned French business leaders and senior bureaucrats, who worried about a Chinese backlash and who advised Sarkozy to attend the Games.
Chinese manipulation of the pre-Olympic atmosphere is also evident in the manner in which the media has been handled. The Chinese promise to allow complete media freedom has degenerated into the harassment and restriction of foreign journalists, not only in Tibet, but in other parts of the country. Human Rights Watch said in a July 7th Reuters article quoted in ‘National Post’ that “Correspondents face severe difficulties in accessing forbidden zones, geographical areas and topics which the Chinese government considers sensitive and thus off-limits to foreign media.”
PEN, an organization that was founded to guard freedom of expression, supports the findings of HRW. Sun Lin, a reporter working for a U.S.-based news portal in Nanjing, was sentenced to four years in prison on June, 27 for “disturbing social order and illegal possession of firearms.” In late June, government authorities also detained or harassed many Chinese dissidents and rights activists so that they were unable to meet with U.S. lawmakers visiting China.
Human Rights Watch has criticized the International Olympic Committee, (IOC,) for not pressuring China to live up to its pledges regarding media and human rights concerns. “The Chinese government, with the help of the International Olympic Committee, has done its best to impede progress,” sated Ms. Sophie Richardson, the Asia advocacy director of HRW. “[The IOC] has said it prefers quiet diplomacy and in general we don’t have a problem with quiet diplomacy…the problem is when it’s so quiet as to be utterly inaudible.” HRW has asked the IOC to establish a 24-hour hotline in Beijing during the Games where reporters can report media violations. HRW has also asked the IOC to “publicly press the Chinese government” to maintain its pledge of media freedom until October, when the promise expires.
Human Rights Watch has been active advocating that Western leaders speak out against rights abuses now, before the Games commence, and they still have some leverage. Ms Richardson stated in the Reuters article that she “think(s) if there isn’t more pressure now, it’s going to be very difficult to make any significant changes from the outside directed inward after the Games.” This warning appears to have gone largely unheeded by the West. With prominent leaders such as Bush and Sarkozy agreeing to attend the Opening Ceremonies, there is little hope that pressure can be brought to bear on Chinese human rights. Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper has often raised the question of human rights in Tibet with China, and he has stated that he will not be attending the opening on August 8th. However, to be truthful, Canada is not a world leader, and it is world leaders that need to bring pressure on China regarding human rights. Without the action of large nations such as the U.S., Britain, France, Japan, and India there will be little, if any change in China. The Olympics will take place; there will be lots of cheering, hand-shaking, trinket-buying, and medals, but when it is all over, China will remain a closed society. Shame on world leaders!
