The Shameful Reasoning with Chinese Characteristics -- Olympics chief
tells west not to hector China
-- Micky's humble opinion: What nonsense from Rogge's logic?! Shall modern
Chinese live or behave with the mentality of the Parisian mob of 200 years
ago? --
Olympics chief tells west not to hector China
By Roger Blitz in London and Richard McGregor in Beijing
Published: April 25 2008 09:41 | Last updated: April 26 2008 02:29
The west must stop hectoring China over human rights, the Olympics chief
has warned, even as Beijing on Friday showed the first signs of bowing to
international protests by saying it would hold talks with aides to the
Dalai Lama, Tibet¡¯s exiled spiritual leader.
¡°You don¡¯t obtain anything in China with a loud voice,¡± said Jacques
Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee. This was the
¡°big
mistake of people in the west¡±.
¡°It took us 200 years to evolve from the French Revolution. China started
in 1949,¡± he said, a time when the UK and other European nations were
also
colonial powers, ¡°with all the abuse attached to colonial powers¡±.
¡°It was only 40 years ago that we gave liberty to the colonies. Let¡¯s be
a
little bit more modest.¡±
Mr Rogge was speaking to the Financial Times ahead of Beijing¡¯s
announcement on Friday that it would resume talks with representatives of
the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese government has previously blamed for
triggering last month¡¯s violent protests in Tibet.
Pro-Tibet protests have since overshadowed the Olympic torch relay in
Europe, the US, India and Australia, which has in turn provoked a backlash
in China against the west and calls to boycott foreign goods.
Xinhua, China¡¯s official news agency, quoted an unnamed official saying
the government hoped the Dalai side would ¡°take credible moves to stop
activities aimed at splitting China, plotting and inciting violence and
disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games¡±.
The announcement of the talks coincided with a visit to Beijing by a
Brussels delegation led by Jos¨¦ Manuel Barroso, president of the European
Commission, who met Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, on Friday.
Mr Barroso welcomed the news of the talks, as did the White House and
other western governments.
Mr Rogge also told the FT the IOC always believed awarding the 2008 Games
to Beijing would ¡°open up China¡±, and that in time this would happen.
¡°The Games we believe, over time, will have a good influence on social
evolution in China, and the Chinese admit it themselves,¡± he said.
Mr Rogge questioned whether media attention on Tibet would be as strong if
the Games were not taking place in Beijing. ¡°I wonder if Tibet would be
front page today were it not that the Games are being organised in
Beijing. It would probably be page 4 or 5,¡± he said.
Mr Rogge said China had given significant ground to the IOC by opening
access to foreign media for the Olympics, which he expected to be extended
beyond 2008 and believed would be a key factor in the social evolution of
the country. China had also responded to IOC concerns about pollution in
Beijing and child labour, he added.
¡°We have been able to achieve something. I am not quite sure that heads
of
government have achieved much more than we have done,¡± Mr Rogge said.
The Games would continue to be awarded to cities with the best technical
bids, and were for the benefit of athletes rather than for international
political evolution, but ¡°if at the same time they can bring something
for
the region of the country, yes, fine¡±.
South Korea, he pointed out, was a military dictator****p when it was
awarded the 1988 Games, and became a vibrant democracy soon after staging
them. ¡°The Games played a key role, again by the presence of media
people,¡± he said.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
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