Chinese authorities have sealed off a remote town in northwestern China after three people died of pneumonic plague and eight others were infected with the highly contagious lung disease. The Qinghai province health bureau said a 32 yr old herdsman and a 37 yr old neighbor in Ziketan, a Tibetan town of 10,000, have died. A doctor at a nearby hospital where patients are being treated said a third victim, who was 64, also died Monday.
Chinese authorities have said most of the other infected patients are in stable condition, but Wen Xin, a physician at the Tibetan Hospital of Xinghai County in Qinghai, said the wife of the herdsman was in serious condition and coughing up blood. He said an additional 13 people are being quarantined at the hospital for observation.
"City leaders, plague experts and cadres from national and local disease control and prevention departments are all in the village," Wen said.
Pneumonic plague is caused by the same bacterium as bubonic plague, or Black Death, which is estimated to have killed 25 million people during the Middle Ages. While bubonic plague is transmitted by infected fleas, pneumonic plague moves person-to-person through the air, according to the World Health Organization. Patients typically become infected by being in close contact with someone who has the plague and is coughing, or by handling contaminated articles. If left untreated, pneumonic plague can cause death within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Vivian Tan, spokeswoman for the WHO in Beijing, said that the origin of the pneumonic plague outbreak in China is unknown but that similar outbreaks have occurred sporadically over the years in Africa, the former Soviet Union, the Americas and some Asian countries. In 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available, 2,118 people in nine countries were infected and 182 died.
Tan said that the agency was informed of the infections over the weekend and that it is monitoring the situation but has not sent personnel to the affected region. "According to the information we received, the situation is under control and the Chinese authorities have the experience to deal with this," she said.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Friday, October 17, 2008
Reporter Freedom in China
Rules that gave foreign reporters greater freedom during the Beijing Olympics are due to expire. The BBC asked a range of reporters in China what difference the rules have made to their working lives.
Jamis Miles - The Economist
It was mainly a psychological difference, we had been widely flouting the rules before, leaving Beijing to report in the provinces without seeking advance approval as was officially required.
"So when the new regulations were introduced, we were still travelling just as much but without the fear of the knock on the door by the police, without the need to change from hotel to hotel to remain under the radar screen. But we were still frequently encountering local officials who either didn't know or said they didn't know about the new Olympic regulations or were determined to ignore them. There was one remarkable incident, shortly after the new regulations were introduced early last year, when I went to Henan province.
As I expected, I was stopped by local officials. But I called the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, and remarkably, the local officials apologised to me and disappeared, leaving me with startled villagers who said this was the first time they'd ever managed to openly speak with foreign journalists. But since then, I've encountered the same kind of difficulties as before the regulations. A few days ago, I was out in the western region of Xinjiang, and was detained for several hours by local police. There are key parts in the country that remain very difficult to get into, and the most obvious one is Tibet. Tibet wasn't mentioned specifically in the Olympic regulations, in theory they apply to the whole of China, but orally Chinese officials said Tibet remained excluded and we still had to seek permission."
Calum Macleod - USA Today
After the rules came in, they said we could organise things ourselves, which was not always easy." The biggest beneficiaries of these rules were TV and radio journalists because they require more people and equipment to do their jobs, and so are more visible. For the print media, it's easier to be less conspicuous. In the past, the rules stated that all foreign journalists needed approval before interviewing people outside Beijing and Shanghai , but these rules were largely ignored. What the new regulations did, in effect, was to legitimise reporting activities that were already taking place. Even while these rules were in place, I've still been detained in local areas and had my reporting restricted by officials who did not know the rules or did not care about them. But, as foreign journalists, it did mean we had a piece of paper to show them. We need these very minimal rules to be continued, and extended to China's own journalists."
Anonymous Chinese journalist
"The government's attitude towards the media has always been on a need-to-know basis. Officials feel that if they have something to say, they hold a press conference. They have no need to answer journalists' questions individually. They don't work to the media's timings. The Olympics itself will not bring changes overnight, regardless whether its for the foreign or domestic media. It is just one among many things that will only change gradually. The government has done things differently for the Olympics, but I can't say whether they will regress or keep improving things after the Games. All I can say is, I haven't seen much change in how I do my job."
Jamis Miles - The Economist
It was mainly a psychological difference, we had been widely flouting the rules before, leaving Beijing to report in the provinces without seeking advance approval as was officially required.
"So when the new regulations were introduced, we were still travelling just as much but without the fear of the knock on the door by the police, without the need to change from hotel to hotel to remain under the radar screen. But we were still frequently encountering local officials who either didn't know or said they didn't know about the new Olympic regulations or were determined to ignore them. There was one remarkable incident, shortly after the new regulations were introduced early last year, when I went to Henan province.
As I expected, I was stopped by local officials. But I called the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, and remarkably, the local officials apologised to me and disappeared, leaving me with startled villagers who said this was the first time they'd ever managed to openly speak with foreign journalists. But since then, I've encountered the same kind of difficulties as before the regulations. A few days ago, I was out in the western region of Xinjiang, and was detained for several hours by local police. There are key parts in the country that remain very difficult to get into, and the most obvious one is Tibet. Tibet wasn't mentioned specifically in the Olympic regulations, in theory they apply to the whole of China, but orally Chinese officials said Tibet remained excluded and we still had to seek permission."
Calum Macleod - USA Today
After the rules came in, they said we could organise things ourselves, which was not always easy." The biggest beneficiaries of these rules were TV and radio journalists because they require more people and equipment to do their jobs, and so are more visible. For the print media, it's easier to be less conspicuous. In the past, the rules stated that all foreign journalists needed approval before interviewing people outside Beijing and Shanghai , but these rules were largely ignored. What the new regulations did, in effect, was to legitimise reporting activities that were already taking place. Even while these rules were in place, I've still been detained in local areas and had my reporting restricted by officials who did not know the rules or did not care about them. But, as foreign journalists, it did mean we had a piece of paper to show them. We need these very minimal rules to be continued, and extended to China's own journalists."
Anonymous Chinese journalist
"The government's attitude towards the media has always been on a need-to-know basis. Officials feel that if they have something to say, they hold a press conference. They have no need to answer journalists' questions individually. They don't work to the media's timings. The Olympics itself will not bring changes overnight, regardless whether its for the foreign or domestic media. It is just one among many things that will only change gradually. The government has done things differently for the Olympics, but I can't say whether they will regress or keep improving things after the Games. All I can say is, I haven't seen much change in how I do my job."
Friday, October 10, 2008
China Vows To Help with Global Financial Crisis
China's central bank has pledged to continue international cooperation to tackle the global financial crisis and maintain market stability, according to state media. The pledge on Friday came after China this week joined the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other major central banks to cut interest rates in response to the global financial turmoil and fears of a domestic slowdown.
"The PBOC (People's Bank of China) will continue close contacts and cooperation with counterparts and international financial organisations to jointly maintain stability of global financial markets," PBOC spokesman Li Chao told Xinhua news agency.
The PBOC would monitor the crisis and take action to guard against financial risks, Li said. The global economic slowdown had reduced demand for Chinese exports and affected China's economy, he added. But Li was confident that China could ride out the crisis, according to Xinhua.
"China has a huge domestic market and the liquidity is abundant," he said.
"As long as we take strong measures to boost domestic demand, the economy has big potential for sustainable growth."
A PBOC statement on the third quarter meeting of its monetary policy committee said it would take flexible and prudent macroeconomic control measures to boost economic growth, according to Xinhua. Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that the international community should remain confident and work together to overcome the current difficulties.
China has the world's highest foreign reserves at more than 1.8 trillion dollars, the second most US Treasury bills and an economy expected to grow nine percent in the next year.
Some experts say China is likely to be the main driver of global growth as some of the developed world slides into recession in the wake of the credit crunch which sparked the global financial crisis.
"The PBOC (People's Bank of China) will continue close contacts and cooperation with counterparts and international financial organisations to jointly maintain stability of global financial markets," PBOC spokesman Li Chao told Xinhua news agency.
The PBOC would monitor the crisis and take action to guard against financial risks, Li said. The global economic slowdown had reduced demand for Chinese exports and affected China's economy, he added. But Li was confident that China could ride out the crisis, according to Xinhua.
"China has a huge domestic market and the liquidity is abundant," he said.
"As long as we take strong measures to boost domestic demand, the economy has big potential for sustainable growth."
A PBOC statement on the third quarter meeting of its monetary policy committee said it would take flexible and prudent macroeconomic control measures to boost economic growth, according to Xinhua. Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that the international community should remain confident and work together to overcome the current difficulties.
China has the world's highest foreign reserves at more than 1.8 trillion dollars, the second most US Treasury bills and an economy expected to grow nine percent in the next year.
Some experts say China is likely to be the main driver of global growth as some of the developed world slides into recession in the wake of the credit crunch which sparked the global financial crisis.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
China's Trade Gap Widens as Inflation Drops
China's politically sensitive inflation eased to a 14-month low in August while export growth dipped, the government reported Wednesday, and analysts said Beijing might shift from fighting price rises to revving up the slowing economy. Chinese leaders have made a priority of fighting an inflation surge that began in mid-2007 and have imposed price controls and credit curbs. But they face an unexpectedly sharp downturn in economic growth, which could cost jobs and fuel social tensions.
Consumer prices rose 4.9% in August over the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said. That was down from July's 6.3% and well below February's 8.7% rate, the peak of the inflation surge. China's trade surplus hit a record $28.7 billion in August, but export growth slowed to 21.1%, down from July's 26.9%, the government reported.
Wednesday's data "suggest that policymakers will continue to take a prudent and gradual approach in shifting its policy focus from inflation to growth," said Lehman Brothers economist Minchun Sun.
Chinese stocks edged up on the news. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index finished the day up 0.2%. Analysts have cut growth forecasts this year to as low as 9%, down from 2007's explosive 11.9%. That still would be the fastest rate for any major country, but Beijing wants to keep growth high to reduce poverty and create new jobs.
"There are increasing noises that this tightening policy has lasted too long, and more and more worries about growth skidding seriously," said Standard Chartered economist Stephen Green in a report to clients.
Green cautioned that despite the impressive trade figures, Chinese exporters face tougher times ahead. "As Europe now slows, though, the biggest destination for exports, this will change in the last few months of the year," he said. "This may well be the lull before the storm."
Adding to pressure to improve business conditions, Chinese companies were squeezed in August as wholesale inflation accelerated to a new 12 yr high of 10.1%, according to the government data. Beijing reacted to a similar decline in export growth in June by increasing tax rebates to textile producers. Economic planners are expected to roll out measures targeting other struggling industries.
China's trade surplus grew by 14.2 percent in August from a year ago, topping the previous monthly high of $27 billion in October 2007. Exports reached $134.9 billion, while imports rose 23.1% to $106.18 billion. China's inflation surge was blamed on shortages of pork and grain. Beijing responded with price controls and subsidies to raise farm production. But its efforts were hampered by winter storms, a jump in oil prices and China's devastating May 12 earthquake. Food prices rose sharply in August, climbing by 10.3%, but that was down from July's 14.4% and well below February's peak of 23.3%.
"The continuous decline of the CPI is a positive sign as it shows that the government's measures to ease inflationary pressures were effective," said the bureau's chief economist, Yao Jingyuan, quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency.
Communist leaders worry about the political impact of high inflation in a society where families spend up to one-third of their incomes on food. Bouts of high inflation in the 1980s and '90s sparked protests. The recent rise in wholesale costs adds to pressure on Chinese companies to raise retail prices. But many are in industries with intense competition that prevents them from passing on higher costs to consumers. That is squeezing corporate profits and could lead to job losses.
"The focus in terms of inflation has shifted toward non-food prices," said Jing Ulrich, chairwoman of China equities for JP Morgan Securities, in a report. "With power shortages occurring in many parts of the country, anticipated further hikes in energy prices would feed into higher costs for various items."
China's trade surplus with the United States grew 16.6% to $17.5 billion in August, the government reported. The gap with the 27-nation European Union, China's biggest trading partner, swelled 25% to $16 billion. Also in August, monthly growth in spending on factories and other assets, a key economic stiumulus, accelerated to 27.4%, the government said.
Consumer prices rose 4.9% in August over the same month last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said. That was down from July's 6.3% and well below February's 8.7% rate, the peak of the inflation surge. China's trade surplus hit a record $28.7 billion in August, but export growth slowed to 21.1%, down from July's 26.9%, the government reported.
Wednesday's data "suggest that policymakers will continue to take a prudent and gradual approach in shifting its policy focus from inflation to growth," said Lehman Brothers economist Minchun Sun.
Chinese stocks edged up on the news. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index finished the day up 0.2%. Analysts have cut growth forecasts this year to as low as 9%, down from 2007's explosive 11.9%. That still would be the fastest rate for any major country, but Beijing wants to keep growth high to reduce poverty and create new jobs.
"There are increasing noises that this tightening policy has lasted too long, and more and more worries about growth skidding seriously," said Standard Chartered economist Stephen Green in a report to clients.
Green cautioned that despite the impressive trade figures, Chinese exporters face tougher times ahead. "As Europe now slows, though, the biggest destination for exports, this will change in the last few months of the year," he said. "This may well be the lull before the storm."
Adding to pressure to improve business conditions, Chinese companies were squeezed in August as wholesale inflation accelerated to a new 12 yr high of 10.1%, according to the government data. Beijing reacted to a similar decline in export growth in June by increasing tax rebates to textile producers. Economic planners are expected to roll out measures targeting other struggling industries.
China's trade surplus grew by 14.2 percent in August from a year ago, topping the previous monthly high of $27 billion in October 2007. Exports reached $134.9 billion, while imports rose 23.1% to $106.18 billion. China's inflation surge was blamed on shortages of pork and grain. Beijing responded with price controls and subsidies to raise farm production. But its efforts were hampered by winter storms, a jump in oil prices and China's devastating May 12 earthquake. Food prices rose sharply in August, climbing by 10.3%, but that was down from July's 14.4% and well below February's peak of 23.3%.
"The continuous decline of the CPI is a positive sign as it shows that the government's measures to ease inflationary pressures were effective," said the bureau's chief economist, Yao Jingyuan, quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency.
Communist leaders worry about the political impact of high inflation in a society where families spend up to one-third of their incomes on food. Bouts of high inflation in the 1980s and '90s sparked protests. The recent rise in wholesale costs adds to pressure on Chinese companies to raise retail prices. But many are in industries with intense competition that prevents them from passing on higher costs to consumers. That is squeezing corporate profits and could lead to job losses.
"The focus in terms of inflation has shifted toward non-food prices," said Jing Ulrich, chairwoman of China equities for JP Morgan Securities, in a report. "With power shortages occurring in many parts of the country, anticipated further hikes in energy prices would feed into higher costs for various items."
China's trade surplus with the United States grew 16.6% to $17.5 billion in August, the government reported. The gap with the 27-nation European Union, China's biggest trading partner, swelled 25% to $16 billion. Also in August, monthly growth in spending on factories and other assets, a key economic stiumulus, accelerated to 27.4%, the government said.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
China Wins Gold Medal Count for First Time Ever
China will finish as the top gold-medal winner for the first time in Olympic history, becoming the only nation other than the US and Soviet Union to win the most titles at a Summer Games since 1948. The decisive moment came not from a Chinese athlete but after Russia's Rakhim Chakhkiev won the heavyweight boxing title today, the second to last day of the Beijing Games. With a lead over the US of 49 golds to 33 and only 15 events left, the Chinese team can't be caught.
China, which has poured billions of dollars into sports in preparation for its first Olympics as host, ended the American run of three straight Summer Games atop the gold-medal standings. The Chinese have won the most golds at an Olympics since the Soviet Union grabbed 55 at the 1988 Games in Seoul. The US leads the total medal table in Beijing, 105 to 96. Its 83 golds in Los Angeles in 1984 is the all-time record. Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the US Olympic Committee, said yesterday that China had a ``magnificent team'' and that he expects the US to beat its Athens mark of 36 gold medals.
``They're taking a lot of medals but they didn't take it out from our hide,'' Ueberroth said at a news conference. The US or the Soviet Union topped the gold standings at the past 15 Games.
China, which has poured billions of dollars into sports in preparation for its first Olympics as host, ended the American run of three straight Summer Games atop the gold-medal standings. The Chinese have won the most golds at an Olympics since the Soviet Union grabbed 55 at the 1988 Games in Seoul. The US leads the total medal table in Beijing, 105 to 96. Its 83 golds in Los Angeles in 1984 is the all-time record. Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the US Olympic Committee, said yesterday that China had a ``magnificent team'' and that he expects the US to beat its Athens mark of 36 gold medals.
``They're taking a lot of medals but they didn't take it out from our hide,'' Ueberroth said at a news conference. The US or the Soviet Union topped the gold standings at the past 15 Games.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
China's Medal Haul Eases Pain of Liu Xiang Exit
China's seemingly unassailable medal haul and cleanest air in a decade helped dull the host nation's pain on Tuesday over the injury to track idol Liu Xiang. In Day 11 sports, Germany's Jan Frodeno, a man who only took up triathlon to impress a girl, won the swim-bike-run endurance test on a hot day in Beijing. The United States and Britain, second and third in the medal table, grabbed another gold apiece in sailing.
Chinese leaders and people alike showered injured Olympics 100m hurdles champion Liu with get-well messages a day after he limped forlornly off the track, depriving the hosts of what they hoped might be their greatest single moment of glory. Liu, who along with basketball player Yao Ming is China's most idolized sportsman, put a brave face on.
"When I was warming up, I felt my foot was no good," he said, promising not to quit. "There'll be opportunities next year ... I'm still in peak condition. I need to be optimistic."
Liu took gold in Athens in 2004, becoming the first man to win a track-and-field event for China and transforming himself into a national symbol and multi-millionaire. His, and China's, great dream was to repeat the feat at home. But local fans who openly wept at Liu's exit were cheered by a glance at the medal table. Finally reaping the benefits of their 1.3 billion population and a Soviet-style training system, China have 39 golds, seven more than their total haul in Athens, when they came second.
"There is basically no worry about top spot," state news agency Xinhua said.
Chinese fans are loving it, one man even cycled more than 1,300km (800 miles) to tow his 98-year-old grandmother to the Games in a pedicab. Traditional Olympics table-toppers the United States, whose only serious rival in the past was the Soviet Union, have a less-than-expected 24 golds. Britain follow with 13. Further cheering the Chinese national mood, environmental authorities said on Tuesday Beijing had enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month. Officials pledged not to let air quality slide again once the Games were over.
China took drastic efforts, including shutting factories and taking several million cars off the road, to improve air quality before the Games. And despite fears ahead of competing, no athletes have yet raised serious concerns during events. China's post-Olympics challenge is to keep pro-environment policies while maintaining the near double-digit growth rates that have made it an emerging global economic superpower.
"We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games," environmental official Du Shaozhong said on another sunny day in Beijing.
One man whose lungs definitely were not affected by Beijing's summer heat, or any lingering smog, was Germany's Frodeno.
"It was a moment I had dreamed of so many times in my head," said the former swimmer and lifeguard after his triathlon win. "During the race I told myself: 'Boy, be greedy, it's champagne or fizzy water'."
Britain's latest gold came from Paul Goodison who made up for disappointment in Athens, where he nearly quit, by winning the sailing Laser title in Qingdao, on China's east coast. Britain's 13 golds is already its best performance since 1920 and could not be better-timed with the 2012 Olympics taking place in London. Experts attribute British success, which has come chiefly in cycling, rowing, sailing and swimming, to a decade of heavy investment in facilities, much of it from a national lottery.
"We can rule the waves again," Britain's top-selling Sun said, catching the wave of patriotism.
Though the "beautiful game" has long played second fiddle to other sports at the Olympics, a mouth-watering semifinal on Tuesday night between soccer superpowers Argentina and Brazil has excited fans around the world. Brazil have won five World Cups but never an Olympic gold. China is looking for more golds in diving and gymnastics on Tuesday, and Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt is back in action in the Bird's Nest venue for a 200 meters semi-final.
After his showboating win in the blue riband 100m, Bolt wants the first sprint double gold since Carl Lewis in 1984. Gymnastics fans still had calculators out to decipher how American Nastia Liukin came second to China's He Kexin on Monday. The pair had an identical score of 16.725 but a convoluted tiebreak system, involving an A jury of two judges, a B jury of six judges, elimination of highest and lowest marks, then averaging and various deductions, gave it to He.
"That makes no sense," commented Bela Karolyi, who once coached Romanian champion Nadia Comaneci.
Chinese authorities are delighted the pre-Olympics focus on human rights and pollution has died down. They have set aside "protest parks" for would-be demonstrators but have not yet approved any of the 77 applications lodged to use them. The only noise there to trouble official ears is the birds.
Chinese leaders and people alike showered injured Olympics 100m hurdles champion Liu with get-well messages a day after he limped forlornly off the track, depriving the hosts of what they hoped might be their greatest single moment of glory. Liu, who along with basketball player Yao Ming is China's most idolized sportsman, put a brave face on.
"When I was warming up, I felt my foot was no good," he said, promising not to quit. "There'll be opportunities next year ... I'm still in peak condition. I need to be optimistic."
Liu took gold in Athens in 2004, becoming the first man to win a track-and-field event for China and transforming himself into a national symbol and multi-millionaire. His, and China's, great dream was to repeat the feat at home. But local fans who openly wept at Liu's exit were cheered by a glance at the medal table. Finally reaping the benefits of their 1.3 billion population and a Soviet-style training system, China have 39 golds, seven more than their total haul in Athens, when they came second.
"There is basically no worry about top spot," state news agency Xinhua said.
Chinese fans are loving it, one man even cycled more than 1,300km (800 miles) to tow his 98-year-old grandmother to the Games in a pedicab. Traditional Olympics table-toppers the United States, whose only serious rival in the past was the Soviet Union, have a less-than-expected 24 golds. Britain follow with 13. Further cheering the Chinese national mood, environmental authorities said on Tuesday Beijing had enjoyed its cleanest air in 10 years this month. Officials pledged not to let air quality slide again once the Games were over.
China took drastic efforts, including shutting factories and taking several million cars off the road, to improve air quality before the Games. And despite fears ahead of competing, no athletes have yet raised serious concerns during events. China's post-Olympics challenge is to keep pro-environment policies while maintaining the near double-digit growth rates that have made it an emerging global economic superpower.
"We will take some new measures to ensure that air quality will reach a new level after the Olympic Games," environmental official Du Shaozhong said on another sunny day in Beijing.
One man whose lungs definitely were not affected by Beijing's summer heat, or any lingering smog, was Germany's Frodeno.
"It was a moment I had dreamed of so many times in my head," said the former swimmer and lifeguard after his triathlon win. "During the race I told myself: 'Boy, be greedy, it's champagne or fizzy water'."
Britain's latest gold came from Paul Goodison who made up for disappointment in Athens, where he nearly quit, by winning the sailing Laser title in Qingdao, on China's east coast. Britain's 13 golds is already its best performance since 1920 and could not be better-timed with the 2012 Olympics taking place in London. Experts attribute British success, which has come chiefly in cycling, rowing, sailing and swimming, to a decade of heavy investment in facilities, much of it from a national lottery.
"We can rule the waves again," Britain's top-selling Sun said, catching the wave of patriotism.
Though the "beautiful game" has long played second fiddle to other sports at the Olympics, a mouth-watering semifinal on Tuesday night between soccer superpowers Argentina and Brazil has excited fans around the world. Brazil have won five World Cups but never an Olympic gold. China is looking for more golds in diving and gymnastics on Tuesday, and Jamaica's Usain "Lightning" Bolt is back in action in the Bird's Nest venue for a 200 meters semi-final.
After his showboating win in the blue riband 100m, Bolt wants the first sprint double gold since Carl Lewis in 1984. Gymnastics fans still had calculators out to decipher how American Nastia Liukin came second to China's He Kexin on Monday. The pair had an identical score of 16.725 but a convoluted tiebreak system, involving an A jury of two judges, a B jury of six judges, elimination of highest and lowest marks, then averaging and various deductions, gave it to He.
"That makes no sense," commented Bela Karolyi, who once coached Romanian champion Nadia Comaneci.
Chinese authorities are delighted the pre-Olympics focus on human rights and pollution has died down. They have set aside "protest parks" for would-be demonstrators but have not yet approved any of the 77 applications lodged to use them. The only noise there to trouble official ears is the birds.
Friday, August 8, 2008
China Ready for Opening Ceremonies Despite Weather Worries
China was putting the final touches on what promised to be a spectacular Olympic opening ceremony on Friday, but gloomy weather and tight security left a cloud hanging over its coming out party. The three-hour show at Beijing's iconic "Bird's Nest" national stadium is set to see more than 15,000 performers showcase the nation's ancient history and its rise as a modern power.
The ceremony will begin at 8:08 pm, on the eighth day of the eight month of 2008, a tribute to the number eight that many Chinese deem lucky as it represents prosperity. But potential bad luck loomed as the thousands of athletes who will march through the National Stadium woke on Friday to see heavy clouds and haze
across the city and the weather forecast for the day was for rain.
Ceremony organisers have long said one of the greatest concerns for the party and the 90,000 people who will attend is rain, especially as one of the high points of the night is scheduled to be an enormous fireworks display. Another worry is terrorism, and China rolled out heavy security throughout Beijing and elsewhere across the country, with authorities closing off the politically sensitive Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital.
More than 100,000 security personnel are patrolling Beijing, anti-missile barriers have been set up near the Olympic venue, and the military and police are on guard around the country for any signs of trouble. For China, the Games are an opportunity to show the world how far it has come since the communists came to power in 1949 following a brutal civil war, and particularly the past three decades of phenomenal development.
The event offers to highlight China's social and economic transformation, similar to the 1964 Games for Japan and the 1988 Olympics for South Korea. And despite the many controversies that have surrounded the build-up to the Games, particularly over the government's attitude towards human rights and its rule of Tibet, organisers declared the Olympics could be the best ever.
"We have prepared for the Beijing Olympics for seven years and now we are ready ... we are very confident indeed that we will stage a successful Olympics," organising committee spokesman Sun Weide told AFP. Of course we hope that these will be a great Games, even the greatest."
Despite the human rights controversies and deep concerns over Beijing's notorious pollution, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has shown no signs of regret in China being chosen to host the Games.
"China is a nation in transition, with a great future, tremendous potential and some challenges," Rogge said this week. I believe history will view the 2008 Olympics as a significant milestone in China's remarkable transformation."
However pro-Tibet campaigners and rights activists have been protesting around the world this week to further pressure China's communist rulers ahead of the Games. There have been protests in France, the United States, India and Nepal over issues such as China's rule of Tibet and the heavily Muslim Xinjiang region, arrests of dissidents and Internet censorship.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders also took over a frequency on China's tightly controlled airwaves Friday in a symbolic protest calling for free speech. And US President George W. Bush, who is in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony, made a new plea for freedom of expression in China.
"I strongly believe societies that allow the free expression of ideas tend to be the most prosperous and the most peaceful," Bush told reporters at the official opening of the new US embassy in Beijing.
China has repeatedly insisted that politics should play no part in the Games. Although apparently of higher concern for them was the threat of terrorism. uthorities' repeated warnings over "terrorists" from home and abroad attacking the Games swung into focus again late Thursday when a separatist group claiming to represent Xinjiang Muslims made a new video threat. It followed an attack in Xinjiang on Monday that killed 16 policemen, which China blamed on Muslim terrorists there who are seeking an independent state.
The ceremony will begin at 8:08 pm, on the eighth day of the eight month of 2008, a tribute to the number eight that many Chinese deem lucky as it represents prosperity. But potential bad luck loomed as the thousands of athletes who will march through the National Stadium woke on Friday to see heavy clouds and haze
across the city and the weather forecast for the day was for rain.
Ceremony organisers have long said one of the greatest concerns for the party and the 90,000 people who will attend is rain, especially as one of the high points of the night is scheduled to be an enormous fireworks display. Another worry is terrorism, and China rolled out heavy security throughout Beijing and elsewhere across the country, with authorities closing off the politically sensitive Tiananmen Square in the heart of the Chinese capital.
More than 100,000 security personnel are patrolling Beijing, anti-missile barriers have been set up near the Olympic venue, and the military and police are on guard around the country for any signs of trouble. For China, the Games are an opportunity to show the world how far it has come since the communists came to power in 1949 following a brutal civil war, and particularly the past three decades of phenomenal development.
The event offers to highlight China's social and economic transformation, similar to the 1964 Games for Japan and the 1988 Olympics for South Korea. And despite the many controversies that have surrounded the build-up to the Games, particularly over the government's attitude towards human rights and its rule of Tibet, organisers declared the Olympics could be the best ever.
"We have prepared for the Beijing Olympics for seven years and now we are ready ... we are very confident indeed that we will stage a successful Olympics," organising committee spokesman Sun Weide told AFP. Of course we hope that these will be a great Games, even the greatest."
Despite the human rights controversies and deep concerns over Beijing's notorious pollution, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has shown no signs of regret in China being chosen to host the Games.
"China is a nation in transition, with a great future, tremendous potential and some challenges," Rogge said this week. I believe history will view the 2008 Olympics as a significant milestone in China's remarkable transformation."
However pro-Tibet campaigners and rights activists have been protesting around the world this week to further pressure China's communist rulers ahead of the Games. There have been protests in France, the United States, India and Nepal over issues such as China's rule of Tibet and the heavily Muslim Xinjiang region, arrests of dissidents and Internet censorship.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders also took over a frequency on China's tightly controlled airwaves Friday in a symbolic protest calling for free speech. And US President George W. Bush, who is in Beijing to attend the opening ceremony, made a new plea for freedom of expression in China.
"I strongly believe societies that allow the free expression of ideas tend to be the most prosperous and the most peaceful," Bush told reporters at the official opening of the new US embassy in Beijing.
China has repeatedly insisted that politics should play no part in the Games. Although apparently of higher concern for them was the threat of terrorism. uthorities' repeated warnings over "terrorists" from home and abroad attacking the Games swung into focus again late Thursday when a separatist group claiming to represent Xinjiang Muslims made a new video threat. It followed an attack in Xinjiang on Monday that killed 16 policemen, which China blamed on Muslim terrorists there who are seeking an independent state.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
