Countdown Beijing -- U.S. Congressmen Accuse China of Olympic Crackdown

U.S. Congressmen Chide China During Beijing Visit

Two members of U.S. Congress warn that human rights in China are deteriorating as the Games approach, while China says the congressman are not respecting Chinese law.

Representatives Frank Wolf and Chris Smith, both Republicans, made their allegations after China blocked dissidents from meeting with them in Beijing over the weekend.

"Tragically, the Olympics has triggered a massive crackdown designed to silence and put beyond reach all those whose views differ from the official 'harmonious' government line," said Smith, at a U.S. Embassy press conference on June 1.

One of the would-be dinner guests, legal scholar Fan Yafeng, says restrictions on his freedoms are not uncommon. He was invited to the dinner, but declined to go after police warned him to stay home.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao accused the two congressmen of disrespecting Chinese law, though he did not specify the law in remarks to media.

"The two U.S. Congressmen came to China as guests of the United States Embassy to engage in internal communications and consultations," he added.

"They should not engage in activities incompatible with the objective of their visit and with their status."

During their visit to China, Smith and Wolf presented a list of 734 people who they say are political prisoners to National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Li Zhaoxing. They asked Li to work for the release of the prisoners.

Both Smith and Wolf cosponsored a House resolution in August calling for U.S. government leaders to boycott the Games opening ceremony. The resolution was never passed.

Sarkozy Ties Games Attendance to Dalai Lama Talks

French president Nicolas Sarkozy says his attendance at the Olympics opening ceremony depends on the dialogue between China and representatives of the Dalai Lama going on this week.

"France has pushed very hard for the resumption of dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese authorities," Sarkozy said Monday on France 3 television.

"If there is continued progress, and if the Dalai Lama and [Chinese president] Hu Jintao recognize the progress, then the obstacle to my participation will be removed," he added.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao addressed the comments in a media briefing.

Liu emphasized that the Tibet issue and the meeting between the two Dalai Lama representatives and Chinese officials are strictly China’s internal affairs. He also opposed linking the Olympics to any political issues and discussing the Tibet issue in any international conferences.

An announcement is expected from Sarkozy's office next week.

Athletes Call for Olympic Truce

Champion speed skater Joey Cheek presents the names of more than 120 athletes joining a call for a truce in Darfur during the Olympic Games.

We ask "all nations which signed the U.N. resolution entitled "building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal" to fulfill their obligations to enact a U.N. truce for Darfur," said Cheek, as he presented an open letter from the athletes at a July 1 press conference in Washington, D.C.

He refers to a November 2007 resolution, adopted by all U.N. members, that requests the U.N. secretary general to promote the observance of the Olympic Truce among member states.

The letter from the athletes asks the leaders of the U.S., France, the U.N., the U.K., China, Russia and the IOC to urge the Sudan government to cease hostilities in Darfur for a 55-day period before, during and after the Olympics and Paralympics.

Cheek said it took only a week to collect the 129 signatures from Olympians, Beijing-bound athletes, coaches, and top Games prospects. The U.S., Canada and Australia are heavily represented, but many signatures also come from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America.

"The idea that they can use their competition, they can use their performance to promote something more than just athletic competition seems to have a resonance," says Cheek.

Jessica Mendoza, a member of the 2004 gold medal softball team, joined Cheek by phone. She and three of her Beijing-bound teammates signed the letter.

Domestic Relay between Space Center and Long March Terminus

The torch relay concludes its last leg in central China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, making its final stop at the provincial capital of Yinchuan today.

Xinyue Square, the starting point of the relay, was filled with a “considerable” number of people, according to a city media report. Many were youths who were shouting slogans such as “Go China”, “Go Olympics”.

The torch travelled to Dongfeng Space Center on Saturday and moved on two other cities in Ningxia -- Zhongwei and Wuzhong -- before arriving at Yinchuan.

Qi Chunxia, a forty-year-old shooting coach, ran the first leg of the relay in Yinchuan, which spanned 13 kilometers and lasted for about two hours.

“I hope that the Olympic Torch Relay in Ningxia will inspire people’s passion and love for sports,” said Qi.

The torch will now move to the province of Shaanxi, to the city of Yan’an, known as the terminus of Chairman Mao's Long March.

Beijing Briefs…

The Bird's Nest stadium is officially done, after a final inspection and inauguration ceremony. BOCOG president Liu Qi and Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong presided at the June 28 event where the CEO of the company that built the stadium received an official certificate of inspection. The stadium has already hosted several test events, beginning with a race walking event in April.

More than half of U.S. and Canada residents would not like to go to the Beijing Olympics, according to a new poll. Some 57 percent of Americans and 52 percent of Canadians told a Harris pollster that the Beijing Olympics are not an attraction. The same poll found, however, that the London Olympics would be an attractive destination for 68 percent of Canadians and 59 percent of their southern neighbors, assuming price was no issue. Numbers are roughly similar for the Vancouver Olympics. The same poll finds that U.S. and Canada residents are far less enthusiastic about going to single-sport events such as the Tour de France or Wimbledon. Education level made a difference; across the board, people with college or postgraduate degrees were more likely to say they would like to attend any of the sport events in the survey. The survey did not reveal the reasons why the Beijing Olympics seem a less attractive destination than London or Vancouver.

The Beijing Municipal Administration Commission now prohibits the use of balloon banners and any inflatable devices that float in the air as publicity means from July 20 onwards. According to the administration’s person-in-charge, this was done to conform to the special needs of the Olympics and Paralympic Games. This rule, issued June 30, is in effect until September 25.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry defends tighter visa rules, saying they are in line with international practice. The new rules, adopted in April, are appropriate for the perceived security threats, Consular Department director Wei Wei is quoted in state media. Since the April changes, foreigners living in Beijing report much stricter visa enforcement and multiple-entry visas are reportedly more difficult to obtain.

Play the Game teams up with the International Federation of Journalists to make a new webpage to help Olympic journalists navigate China. Play the Game for Open Journalism is targeted at non-accredited media and offers practical tips, but focuses on journalists' rights, background information about China's sensitive issues, working with Chinese fixers, and what to do in case of trouble. According to a statement from Play the Game, the Games will put some 30,000 journalists and an unknown number of Chinese officials to a test for which they have no chance to train: practicing media freedom that Chinese authorities have granted all foreign journalists around the Olympics. Play the Game is a Denmark-based NGO that promotes ethics in sport management and improved sport journalism.

U.S. shooters of two kinds are now cleared to bring sensitive equipment to China. In conjunction with the Games, President Bush this week announced a case-by-case waiver of restrictions against shipping military hardware to China. This means that the U.S. shooting team can send their guns to the Games and that film crews can shoot with high-definition cameras equipped with military-grade gyroscopes.

Media Watch…

The Olympics may suffer because organizers have been too ambitious in trying to capitalize on every symbol of good luck, writes Zhou Yi in the Asia Times. Numerology, Feng Shui and even the wisdom of Lao Tzu point to an imbalance, Zhou finds.

Written by Maggie LeeFor general comments or questions, click hereClick here to see the latest Around the Rings Olympic Bid Power Index -- the only authoritative ranking of the 2016 bid cities.