日中関係

以下、８月８日付けのTHE 　 WALL 　 STREET 　 JOURNALより引用：

Will A Label Stick To These Games?

Since at least 1936, almost every Olympic Games has become known for a dominant story line: Hitler and Jesse Owens in Berlin, the black-power salute in Mexico City, the massacre of athletes in Munich, or the bribery scandal in Salt Lake City.

The games are to formally kick off Friday with an elaborate opening ceremony directed by Zhang Yimou, China's most famous filmmaker. A chorus of Chinese children are to sing the Olympic anthem in Greek, and an elaborate fireworks show will light the sky. Scores of corporate chiefs and heads of state -- including U.S. President George W. Bush -- are expected for what seems like a combination of sporting event and diplomatic summit.

That made it a tempting target for China critics. Plans to disrupt the games began early. Two years ago, for example, students at Harvard University hosted a conference on how to use the 2008 Olympics to publicize the issue of Tibetan independence. They decided to appeal to world leaders to boycott the games and plotted about how to organize demonstrations inside China during the games.

Other groups targeted the torch relay. In what proved to be a tactical mistake, China decided to hold the relay in Western countries, where protests then took place. China was stunned when protesters in France almost stopped the relay by grabbing the torch.

Celebrities got involved early on, too. When director Steven Spielberg said he would help stage the opening ceremony, actress Mia Farrow publicly criticized him for helping a government that she said was aiding Sudan commit genocide in Darfur. Mr. Spielberg pulled out.

One reason why politics may be so high on the agenda is that this is only the second time since the end of World War II that the games haven't been held in a country that is pro-Western or at least neutral. The only other time, 1980 in Moscow, the U.S. led a boycott (which China also joined).

'Part of what's happening is the clash between East and West,' says Susan Brownell, who has written extensively on Chinese sports. 'We have a rising power that is not under U.S. control.'

According to data from the government, the average for the air-pollution-index readings for the past 18 days since the strict controls began fell to 76.5 from 94.7, with 100 as the maximum for healthy levels. That still left the levels much higher than what the World Health Organization considers safe and higher than what most Westerners will be accustomed to.

Much of this discussion, however, may be irrelevant for the most important target audience: the Chinese people themselves. The foreign criticism has already helped the government by causing Chinese to pull together defensively, says Scott Kronick, who heads the China operations of public-relations giant Ogilvy, which has done pro bono consulting work for the Chinese government.

'They want to use this to promote reforms and national unification -- the harmonious society,' Mr. Kronick said. 'I think it's achieved this already. Even the foreign criticism has helped this.'

For many Chinese, the flood of state leaders and foreign dignitaries will show that the government has succeeded. The Olympics, says Prof. deLisle, will come across to most people here like this: 'Chinese athletes will win, the world will come to China, and there will be this incredible show.'

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 作者 　 Ian Johnson




反中倭助らにただ感謝のみです。