Business Times - 12 Aug 2009
By FRANK CHING
A YEAR after the Beijing Olympics, China is showing greater confidence and its international standing is rising, largely as a result of the global financial crisis, which has showcased its economic success at a time when the United States is seen as being in decline.
After the International Olympics Committee voted in July 2001 to give China the right to stage the 2008 Summer Games, many people overseas hoped that its human rights situation would improve, while within the country it was commonly believed that China's prestige would grow.
Hope for human rights progress was based on pledges made by Chinese officials. For example, Liu Jingmin, vice- president of the Beijing 2008 bid committee, had said that 'by allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help the development of human rights'. In the end, very little, if any, progress was made.
Beijing also promised that the international media would be completely free to report. This was one area where there was movement. Liberalised rules were put in place from the beginning of 2007 to Oct 17, 2008, whereby foreign journalists were no longer required to get government approval to conduct interviews across the country. After the Olympics ended, China announced that these rules would continue to apply. To date, that is the one tangible improvement in human rights. Even so, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China, while acknowledging that the relaxed rules have made travel within the country easier for correspondents, also reported that 'intimidating of sources and domestic staff mar this progress towards internationally accepted reporting conditions'. Journalists said such intimidation is 'a trend that threatens progress towards greater openness'.
Actually, the 12 months since the Olympics have been marked by heightened repression, with human rights lawyers being especially targeted for harsh treatment. They have been kidnapped, beaten up and even disbarred. There are now signs that the government is turning its attention to non-governmental organisations.
Last month, the Open Constitution Initiative, or Gongmeng, a group that offered legal assistance, was shut down, ostensibly for tax evasion. The group had released a report on Tibet in May that challenged the official position on the 2008 protests in Lhasa.
At about the same time, the office of the Beijing Yirenping Centre, which is dedicated to promoting the interests of health-disadvantaged groups, such as carriers of the Hepatitis B virus, was raided. Copies of its newsletter opposing discrimination were confiscated. There is now fear of a crackdown on NGOs not only in Beijing but across the country.
Many people think that this crackdown is due to the current politically sensitive period, with the approach of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Oct 1. However, it is not at all clear that there will be any easing after that date.
As for China's international prestige, there is little evidence of an Olympics-related rise. A BBC World Service poll released in February, six months after the Olympics, showed that public views of China had slipped considerably. Whereas in 2008 those polled leaned towards saying China had a positive influence in the world, the 2009 survey showed positive ratings had fallen from 44 per cent to 39 per cent, while 40 per cent felt that China's influence was negative.
The Pew Global Attitudes survey this year, released last month, did indicate that China's image has improved, but only slightly. This is likely to reflect the impact of the financial crisis more than that of the Olympics.
American public opinion of China has grown more positive, with 50 per cent of Americans rating China favourably, compared with 39 per cent in 2008 and 42 per cent in 2007.
But in Western Europe, the improvement was much less. True, in Britain, favourable views rose from 47 per cent in 2008 to 52 per cent this year. However, views remained mostly negative elsewhere. There were slight improvements in France and Spain, with positive views rising from about 30 per cent to 40 per cent. In Germany, however, opinions remained negative, with only 29 per cent holding a positive view. It is only in Africa that the attitude towards China is overwhelmingly positive.
The two issues - human rights and China's international standing - are clearly related. If China had made use of the Olympics to improve its human rights record, as it had promised, there is no doubt that its prestige today would be much higher, even without a financial crisis. Beijing dazzled the world at the Olympics, especially with its spectacular opening ceremonies. What a pity China did not capitalise more on such a wonderful opportunity.
The writer is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator
By FRANK CHING
A YEAR after the Beijing Olympics, China is showing greater confidence and its international standing is rising, largely as a result of the global financial crisis, which has showcased its economic success at a time when the United States is seen as being in decline.
After the International Olympics Committee voted in July 2001 to give China the right to stage the 2008 Summer Games, many people overseas hoped that its human rights situation would improve, while within the country it was commonly believed that China's prestige would grow.
Hope for human rights progress was based on pledges made by Chinese officials. For example, Liu Jingmin, vice- president of the Beijing 2008 bid committee, had said that 'by allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help the development of human rights'. In the end, very little, if any, progress was made.
Beijing also promised that the international media would be completely free to report. This was one area where there was movement. Liberalised rules were put in place from the beginning of 2007 to Oct 17, 2008, whereby foreign journalists were no longer required to get government approval to conduct interviews across the country. After the Olympics ended, China announced that these rules would continue to apply. To date, that is the one tangible improvement in human rights. Even so, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China, while acknowledging that the relaxed rules have made travel within the country easier for correspondents, also reported that 'intimidating of sources and domestic staff mar this progress towards internationally accepted reporting conditions'. Journalists said such intimidation is 'a trend that threatens progress towards greater openness'.
Actually, the 12 months since the Olympics have been marked by heightened repression, with human rights lawyers being especially targeted for harsh treatment. They have been kidnapped, beaten up and even disbarred. There are now signs that the government is turning its attention to non-governmental organisations.
Last month, the Open Constitution Initiative, or Gongmeng, a group that offered legal assistance, was shut down, ostensibly for tax evasion. The group had released a report on Tibet in May that challenged the official position on the 2008 protests in Lhasa.
At about the same time, the office of the Beijing Yirenping Centre, which is dedicated to promoting the interests of health-disadvantaged groups, such as carriers of the Hepatitis B virus, was raided. Copies of its newsletter opposing discrimination were confiscated. There is now fear of a crackdown on NGOs not only in Beijing but across the country.
Many people think that this crackdown is due to the current politically sensitive period, with the approach of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Oct 1. However, it is not at all clear that there will be any easing after that date.
As for China's international prestige, there is little evidence of an Olympics-related rise. A BBC World Service poll released in February, six months after the Olympics, showed that public views of China had slipped considerably. Whereas in 2008 those polled leaned towards saying China had a positive influence in the world, the 2009 survey showed positive ratings had fallen from 44 per cent to 39 per cent, while 40 per cent felt that China's influence was negative.
The Pew Global Attitudes survey this year, released last month, did indicate that China's image has improved, but only slightly. This is likely to reflect the impact of the financial crisis more than that of the Olympics.
American public opinion of China has grown more positive, with 50 per cent of Americans rating China favourably, compared with 39 per cent in 2008 and 42 per cent in 2007.
But in Western Europe, the improvement was much less. True, in Britain, favourable views rose from 47 per cent in 2008 to 52 per cent this year. However, views remained mostly negative elsewhere. There were slight improvements in France and Spain, with positive views rising from about 30 per cent to 40 per cent. In Germany, however, opinions remained negative, with only 29 per cent holding a positive view. It is only in Africa that the attitude towards China is overwhelmingly positive.
The two issues - human rights and China's international standing - are clearly related. If China had made use of the Olympics to improve its human rights record, as it had promised, there is no doubt that its prestige today would be much higher, even without a financial crisis. Beijing dazzled the world at the Olympics, especially with its spectacular opening ceremonies. What a pity China did not capitalise more on such a wonderful opportunity.
The writer is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator
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