[Marxism] How dare the West use the Olympics to China-bash

[Eli Stephens <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

In today's San Jose Mercury News:
  http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8991209

How dare the West use the Olympics to China-bash
By George Koo
Article Launched: 04/20/2008 01:35:32 AM PDT

The response to the globe-trotting Olympic torch relay neatly summarizes the 
world's bifurcated attitude about China.

One group sees the relay as an opportunity to register a protest about China, 
the other to celebrate the world's greatest sporting event about to take place 
in the country - for the first time ever.

After San Francisco, the torch proceeded to Argentina, Tanzania and Oman, where 
the event was greeted with jubilation and cheer. With the possible exception of 
Australia and Japan, the parade is expected to continue as a focus of local 
pride and celebration as the torch winds its way through Asia until it reaches 
Beijing in time for the opening of the Games.

The Western media is not going to follow the torch relay in the developing 
countries with the same vigor as it had in London, Paris and San Francisco. In 
the absence of a willing media, protesters would not have the platform to seize 
the limelight via public disturbances. As a result, they will stay home.

Furthermore, much of the developing world has tasted firsthand the harshness of 
past British imperialism and the present threat of American "shock and awe" - 
in 
contrast with China's recent surprisingly adroit exercise of soft power. Their 
sympathies are not with the protesters. They see the Chinese come to their 
countries to build roads, schools and hospitals. China partners with the local 
governments and brings in investments and technology to extract natural 
resources that would finance a better future for local populations.

Western pundits call China's presence in Africa and Latin America a form of 
economic colonialism.

The "victims" of such colonialism disagree. Unlike the imperialistic 
exploitation of yore, they see China as a willing partner to help them develop 
their own economy without political preconditions as to how they should govern.

China has also invested in the infrastructure of Tibet to improve the lives of 
the Tibetan people. Today, the Tibetan life expectancy has doubled, and people 
no longer scrape by as serfs held in bondage. This is considered "cultural 
genocide" by the Dalai Lama, and the media condemns China for it.

That the Western press sees China through blinders was particularly evident 
when 
the riot first broke out in Lhasa and the media immediately upgraded the thugs 
into freedom fighters. The German press was particularly creative - though 
Washington Post, CNN and other American media outlets were not without guilt - 
using photos of Nepalese police beating civilians in Katmandu as stand-ins for 
Chinese soldiers in Lhasa.

These distortions, however, have aroused the normally placid communities of 
ethnic Chinese around the world. Wherever they are, they are turning out in 
large numbers to show their pride and support for the torch relay and for China 
hosting its first Olympics. However they might feel about the Beijing 
government, they resent the outside attempts to turn the Olympics into a 
China-bashing circus.

Through more than a decade of mutually beneficial partnership with the West, 
China has become the most important trading partner to the United States, 
Western Europe and Japan. Despite this important economic linkage, the West 
can't get away from the notion that only it knows what constitutes human 
rights. 
Not everybody in the world believes that the West has a monopoly on human 
rights. That's apparent from the vigorous objection of China's youth to the 
Western demonizing of China.

Perhaps we can hope that as the novelty of a global torch relay wears off and 
the real Games begin, we can return to the original spirit of the Olympics. 
That 
would include sportsmanship, competition and goodwill to all.

GEORGE KOO is an international business consultant in Mountain View and a board 
member of San Francisco-based New America Media, a nationwide association of 
ethnic media organizations. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.


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