The Beijing Olympics: An achievement — and a great opportunity

DURING the lifetime of many of the hundreds of millions of people who will watch tomorrow night’s Olympic Games opening ceremony from Beijing the people of China endured the greatest famine in the history of humanity.

The painful journey from that modern apocalypse to creating a society, an economy, an infrastructure and a metropolis capable of hosting the world’s greatest sporting spectacle in less than 50 years is one of the great achievements of modern humanity. Indeed, it is difficult to identify many that surpassed it in the past century other than Europe’s rejuvenation post-1945. (And one could argue with regard to the latter that two great Americans — President Truman, and secretary of state George Marshall — played an important part in bringing about that rejuvenation.)

Between the spring of 1959 and the end of 1961 about 30 million Chinese starved to death and about the same number of births were lost or postponed.

Although drought was a factor, the famine was largely man-made. Most historians conclude that the 20th century’s greatest national catastrophe was caused by Communist despot Mao Zedong.

Every discussion of the Beijing Games must inevitably turn to China’s dreadful record on human rights. There are almost limitless examples of suppression; of individuals and families destroyed by the weight of state security.

This conversation is underlined by the great fear that a country capable of jailing a teacher — without even a cursory show trial — for publishing photographs of the May 12 earthquake that left nearly 88,000 people dead or missing, is now a superpower with great influence well beyond its borders. Critics point to its behind-the-scenes role in Darfur and “exploitation” in Africa. Though how this “exploitation” differs from European colonisation of an earlier time is hard to say.

China’s suppression of religious, political or cultural minorities — by jailing, by the denial of work or the denial of any possibility of an income — is well beyond what is acceptable in the west. Add to this the threat posed to European and American job security by almost limitless cheap and compliant labour and those fears are understandable. China’s — and India’s — voracious appetite for raw materials has changed world markets forever and made economic advancement or even survival more challenging.

China’s environmental impact is negative. Because of its hyperactive development it is opening coal-fired power stations at an amazing rate. One burns 40,000 tonnes of coal a day. However, there is a great difficulty for the west here: as with Africa, how can we criticise China for doing what we did with such enthusiasm just a generation ago? Saying we know better now is not realistic, we need to offer an alternative.

US President George W Bush struck an optimistic chord yesterday in a script released before his visit to the Games. “America stands in firm opposition to China’s detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists... We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labour rights — not to antagonise China’s leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential. And we press for openness and justice not to impose our beliefs, but to allow the Chinese people to express theirs. I am optimistic about China’s future. Young people who grow up with the freedom to trade goods will ultimately demand the freedom to trade ideas.” The president concluded: “Change in China will arrive on its own terms and in keeping with its own history and traditions. Yet change will arrive.”

That change may well result in a future where China will be respected rather than feared, and admired for achievements realised without coercion.

China is the world’s most populous country — 1,321,851,888 citizens is the latest figure as we go to press, and God knows what it would be if the one-child policy didn’t exist — and is in a period of great transition, moving from tyranny to an open, competitive economy. It is inevitable that as economic circumstances improve and generations change today’s authoritarianism will not be tolerated.

It is easy to sneer at the Games; they are dominated by corporate and nationalist interests and every medallist will fall under suspicion of being a drug cheat but the allure persists. The Games remain an opportunity to see human sporting endeavour and courage at their best. And, in 2008, they offer China an opportunity to show they are moving towards the community of nations, that they are as interested in our success as we are in theirs.

And, if we could only win a medal or two...