Beijing Olympics: China’s Coming-out Party in Danger?

Posted by Michael Anderson on Monday, March 30th, 2009

External Podcast: Visit Digging-to-China.com to listen



The Beijing Olympics represent a kind of coming-out party for China, a
chance for the rising Asian power to showcase its economic and political
development. There is much for the world to admire and for the Chinese
people to be proud of.

But things are not turning out in favor of Beijing.
Freedoms of religion, speech and assembly do not exist in China, and
Beijing’s oppression of the Tibetan people has drawn waves of criticism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown joined with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel in declining to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games,
and French President Nicolas Sarkozy has indicated that he might do the same.
The Olympic games have no doubt become the high profile venue for implicit
and explicit political messages.

In the U.S., Thad McCotter, Congressman from Michigan, introduced a bill to
restrict President Bush from attending the opening ceremony.

Guest: Rep. Thad McCotter Chairman, House Republican Policy Committee

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