INTRO: segment number two -- "Beijing 2000"

AFTER MONTHS OF DELIBERATIONS AND TRAVEL...THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE WILL SOON COME TO A DECISION AS TO WHERE THE GAMES IN THE YEAR 2000 WILL BE HELD.  CITIES IN ENGLAND...AUSTRALIA...GERMANY AND CHINA AMONG OTHER NATIONS HAVE ALL MOUNTED HUGE CAMPAIGNS TO IMPRESS THE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.  IN PART TWO OF OUR SERIES POSTCARDS FROM CHINA...ERIC OLANDER REPORTS ON THE OLYMPIC FEVER THAT IS SWEEPING BEIJING. (:19)

STORY:

A MORE OPEN CHINA AWAITS THE 2000 OLYMPICS...AN EPOCH MAKING GAMES IN A LEGENDARY CITY....BEIJING WELCOMES THE 2000 OLYMPICS...THESE SLOGANS ARE PLASTERED ALL OVER THE CITY....ON CONSTRUCTION SITES....HOTELS....T-SHIRTS....BUSES....AND TAXIS....GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE HAS ALREADY AWARDED THE CHINESE THE PRIZE.  WELL THEY HAVEN'T....BUT IT DOES GIVE AN INDICATION OF HOW BADLY THE CITY WANTS TO HOST THE GAMES. (:22)

THE GOVERNMENT IS PUTTING ON A PUBLIC RELATIONS BLITZ TO TRY AND CONVINCE A SKEPTICAL WORLD THAT IT SHOULD BE CHOSEN BY THE I-O-C.   THE BEIJING 2000 LOGO AND THE FIVE RINGS OF THE OLYMPIAD HAVE BECOME PERMANENT FIXTURES ACROSS THE CITY....MANY LOCAL RESIDENTS SAY THAT PARKS AND STREETS ARE A LOT CLEANER...AND POLLS HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONED TO DEMONSTRATE WIDESPREAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT.   IN A RECENT SURVEY THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS THAT OVER EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION ENDORSES THE COUNTRY'S BID FOR THE GAMES.  IN FACT....EVERY PERSON I SPOKE WITH IN MANY PARTS OF THE COUNTRY SAID PROUDLY THAT CHINA DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY AND SUPPORTS THE GOVERNMENTS EFFORTS.  ASIDE FROM THE POLLS...MORE CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF POPULAR SUPPORT COMES IN THE FORM OF T-SHIRTS.  IN PROVINCES FROM GUANGDONG....TO HUNAN....TO GUANGXI AND ALL THE WAY TO THE CAPITOL EVERYONE IS WEARING THE BEIJING 2000 SHIRTS.  THEY'RE SO POPULAR THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN BUY THEM ANY MORE BECAUSE ALL THE STORES AND MARKETS ARE SOLD OUT. (1:10)

 THE MASSIVE EFFORT OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO BRING THE GAMES TO BEIJING ILLUSTRATES JUST HOW HIGH THE STAKES REALLY ARE.  ASIDE FROM THE ENORMOUS REVENUES GENERATED FROM TOURISM...TELEVISION RIGHTS AND THE MARKETING OF SOUVENIRS....THERE IS A POLITICAL SLANT AS WELL.  FOR THE KOREANS IN 1988...THE SEOUL OLYMPICS FORMALLY USHERED THE COUNTRY INTO THE GLOBAL ARENA...PROVIDED VALUABLE INTERNATIONAL PRESTIGE AND INCREASED AWARENESS OF KOREAN PEOPLE CULTURE AND POLITICS.  FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS NOW THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN SPENDING MILLIONS OF U-S DOLLARS IN AN EFFORT TO SHIFT INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION AWAY FROM THE VIOLENT IMAGES THAT DOMINATED THE WORLD'S TELEVISION SCREENS IN JUNE OF 1989.  AN OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE SIMILAR TO KOREA'S WOULD CERTAINLY HELP THIS PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT. (1:50)

IN FACT IT'S THE POLITICS RELATED TO CHINA'S BID THAT MAKE IT DISTINCT.  NONE OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES VYING FOR THE GAMES ARE AS CONTROVERSIAL....CERTAINLY NOT ENGLAND OR AUSTRALIA AMONG OTHERS.

 FOR THE INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD AND THE I-O-C THE CHINESE BID RAISES SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS.   BY GRANTING THE GAMES TO CHINA....DOES THE I-O-C OFFER WHAT AMOUNTS TO AN ENDORSEMENT OF A GOVERNMENT THAT HAS A QUESTIONABLE HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD BY WESTERN STANDARDS?  A GOVERNMENT THAT HAS USED IMPRESSIVE MILITARY FORCE ON ITS OWN PEOPLE IN BEIJING...TIBET AND IN XINJIANG PROVINCE....AND A GOVERNMENT THAT CONTINUES TO THIS DAY TO ARREST AND IMPRISON PEOPLE WITHOUT CHARGE OR PUBLIC TRIAL.

 ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISSUE....REJECTING THE CHINESE OFFER WOULD BE EASY AND POLITICALLY SAFE FOR MANY I-O-C MEMBERS.  BUT IT MAY NOT BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.  WHETHER OR NOT WE AGREE WITH CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS POLICIES DOES NOT ALTER THE FACT THAT THIS COUNTRY IS FAST BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC...POLITICAL...DIPLOMATIC AND REGIONAL POWERS IN THE WORLD.  IT WOULD ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THE GLOBAL BALANCE OF POWER IS GRADUALLY SHIFTING AWAY FROM THE TRADITIONAL PILLARS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA TO ASIA.  A FAVORABLE I-O-C DECISION FOR CHINA WOULD CONFIRM THAT THE OLYMPIC GAMES ARE LEADING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ACROSS THE THRESHOLD INTO THE NEW WORLD OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.

 WITH A POSTCARD FROM CHINA....I'M ERIC OLANDER IN BEIJING. (3:01)

 OUTRO:

THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITEE WILL MAKE ITS FINAL DECISION IN SEPTEMBER. 

IN OUR NEXT POSTCARD...ERIC REPORTS FROM HONG KONG ABOUT THE IRONY OF WESTERN IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN THE TERRITORY.

 © BBC World Service 1993