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OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #5233/01 2211117
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 091117Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0618
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 005233 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2032 
TAGS: PHUM KOLY PGOV SOCI KCUL CH
SUBJECT: CHINA KICKS OFF ONE-YEAR COUNTDOWN TO OLYMPICS 
WITH GALA CELEBRATION AS ACTIVISTS RATCHET UP CRITICISMS 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 5187 
     ¶B. BEIJING 5142 
     ¶C. NEW DELHI 3617 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary and Comment 
------------------- 
 
¶1. (C) China kicked off the one-year countdown to the Beijing 
Olympic Games with an impressive ceremony in front of 
Chairman Mao's portrait in Tiananmen Square August 8. 
Politburo Standing Committee Member Wu Bangguo gave the 
keynote address, reiterating Beijing's commitment to conduct 
a "humane" Olympics and pledging to provide "excellent 
service" to journalists.  Earlier, Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive 
Vice President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 
29th Olympiad Games (BOCOG), told a visiting U.S. Congressman 
that Beijing will allow journalistic access but cautioned 
that China expects Olympics coverage to be "fair, objective 
and optimistic."  Comment:  Beijing faces growing public 
relations and policy challenges as activists gear up to use 
the Olympics as a lever to pressure China on their issues. 
Equally evident is the fact that the "open coverage" mantra 
of the Party leadership has been slow to translate into 
policy on the ground.  End Summary and Comment. 
 
Olympic Countdown Kickoff 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) With Poloff in attendance amidst the sweltering 
Beijing heat, BOCOG orchestrated an impressive two-hour gala 
ceremony in front of Chairman Mao's portrait in Tiananmen 
Square on the evening of August 8 to mark the one-year 
countdown to the Beijing Olympic Games.  Zhang Yimou, 
renowned Chinese film director and artistic director for the 
2008 opening ceremony, observed the four-segment program 
nervously.  With the exception of a Swedish pianist and 
vocalist, who sang in Chinese, the performances showcased 
traditional Chinese and ethnic artistic genres and included 
celebrities such as movie tar Jackie Chan, NBA star Yao Ming 
and pianist Lang Lang.  A 100-voice choir sang the one-year 
countdown theme song, "We Are Ready." 
 
¶3. (U) IOC President Jacques Rogge formally invited the 
National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from 205 participating 
territories and countries to attend next year's big event and 
handed out invitations to NOC representatives from Canada, 
the United Kingdom and Russia, the host countries for the 
next three Olympics (Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 
2014).  Beijing Mayor and BOCOG Executive President Wang 
Qishan was Master of Ceremonies, while Politburo Standing 
Committee Member and National People's Congress Chairman Wu 
Bangguo gave the keynote address.  Wu stuck to the 
catchphrases of the Beijing Games, promising to conduct a 
"humane" Olympics that would embody the Olympic motto of 
"Swifter, Higher and Stronger."  He said China would uphold 
its pledge to provide "excellent service" to journalists, 
without specifically mentioning access or press freedoms. 
Beijing Party Secretary and BOCOG President Liu Qi and 
Minister of Sport and BOCOG Executive President Liu Peng also 
made remarks. 
 
Press Coverage with Chinese Characteristics 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) In an earlier meeting with a visiting U.S. Member of 
Congress on August 8, BOCOG Executive Vice President Jiang 
Xiaoyu reiterated Beijing's pledge to allow journalistic 
access during the Olympics, stating that China "welcomes 
global media coverage," including reporting on China's 
"problems."  Jiang cautioned, however, that China hopes the 
coverage would be "fair, objective and optimistic."  The 
Olympics will spur China to move forward on human rights and 
social development, Jiang maintained, emphasizing that China 
"continues to oppose making all problems political" or 
linking them to the Olympics.  The Olympics is "a large 
basket into which anything can be dumped," including Tibet, 
Falun Gong and human rights, he added, but it is 
"unrealistic" to expect China or any other Olympics host to 
bear the burden of solving all problems through the Games. 
(Note:  Bloomberg News quoted IOC President Jacques Rogge as 
making similar comments on August 8, saying that "any 
expectation that the IOC should apply pressure on the Chinese 
government beyond what is necessary for the Games' 
preparations is misplaced....  The Games can only be a 
catalyst for change, not a panacea."  Rogge also reportedly 
said he will press China on media access and environmental 
programs without getting involved in "political issues.") 
 
 
BEIJING 00005233  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶5. (C) Tsinghua University scholar Qin Hui (protect) 
separately on August 8 summed up the Government's media and 
public relations approach to the Olympics as an "internally 
strict, externally lax" (nei jin wai song) policy.  In other 
words, he told Poloff, China will attempt to appear more open 
to the outside world in advance of the Games, while keeping a 
tight lid on dissent at home.  Referring to the high-profile 
outlawing of six books earlier this year, Qin said that as 
the Olympics draw near, China will refrain from banning books 
post-publication.  Instead, Chinese officials will ratchet up 
pressure on publishers behind the scenes to prevent 
controversial works from being printed in the first place, a 
method which officials hope will avoid drawing international 
attention to China's lack of free speech. 
 
Public Relations Pitfalls not Going away Soon 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Activist groups are gearing up to use the Games as a 
lever to pressure China on human rights and other issues.  A 
partial listing of groups recently using the Olympics to 
voice criticisms of China would include 39 Chinese activists 
and liberal intellectuals who released an "open letter" on 
the morning of the August 8 countdown ceremony to call upon 
top Party leaders to improve the human rights situation in 
China (Ref A).  That letter was issued a day after the 
U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) held a 
press conference in Beijing to announce the release of a 
report highly critical of China's record on press freedom in 
advance of the Olympic Games (Ref B).  The day before that 
event, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) staged a similar event 
to protest Chinese press restrictions, resulting in the 
detention of several RSF representatives.  In addition, 
Chinese interlocutors have taken note of the high-profile 
efforts of Hollywood celebrities and others in recent months 
to spearhead a publicity campaign using the Olympics to 
pressure China into taking action on Darfur.  Meanwhile, the 
Chinese are carefully watching the progress of several 
Congressional resolutions and letters calling for an Olympics 
boycott if China does not call a halt to human rights abuses. 
 On top of all that, this week a group of foreign activists 
was detained for unfurling on the Great Wall a banner calling 
for a "free Tibet," while thousands of Tibetans staged a 
demonstration in New Delhi on August 8 (Ref C). 
 
Open Coverage Mantra Slow to Become Reality 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) In the meantime, Party censors at the grassroots have 
apparently been slow to translate into practice the central 
government's message on open press coverage for the Games. 
As anecdotal evidence, on the morning of August 8, a 
Washington TDY analyst noticed that the day's International 
Herald Tribune was not in its customary display case in the 
lobby of Beijing's China World Hotel.  Upon inquiring, she 
was told by the desk clerk that the latest edition had been 
removed from the shelves but that he could retrieve a copy 
for her.  When she mentioned that it looked like some pages 
were missing, the clerk acknowledged that "we removed some 
pages because they contained bad news."  Indeed, the 
Embassy's (uncensored) copy of that day's issue revealed that 
page three carried a story on Beijing's preparations for the 
Olympics, including negative comments by China's critics. 
The article reported upbeat comments made by official at a 
BOCOG press conference but noted that "critics warned that 
China may fall short on Olympic commitments on the 
environment, human rights and press freedom."  The piece 
reported in some detail on various groups who are "seizing on 
the one-year countdown to attract attention to their causes." 
 
RANDT