Common ground

Five days and counting until 8.08pm on the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the century.

Whatever its outcome, the Beijing Olympics are destined to be as memorable as the starting time for their minutely choreographed opening. Even the least sporty couch potato must be relishing the spectacle.
Given the mammoth investment China has made in its elite athletes, it will be a surprise if this nation of 1.3 billion fails to top the medals table, beating the United States into second place for the first time. But that is not how China's success will be measured. The Olympic spirit has always been about more than a four-yearly pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit.


The run-up to the games has witnessed as many controversies as the interlocking Olympic rings. Far from advertising China's arrival as a modern state, the protests over Tibet during the torch relay, China's refusal to intervene to halt atrocities in Burma, Sudan and most recently Zimbabwe and the sudden removal from Beijing of would-be protesters, have all brought negative publicity. This was crowned last week by Amnesty International's report saying human rights had deteriorated since China was awarded the 2008 Olympics in 2001. Journalists promised free access to internet websites arrived to find restrictions still in place. Promises to tackle the dreadful pall of pollution hanging over Beijing are belatedly being met only by centrally imposed restrictions on factories and drivers, reminding the outside world of the conditions endured under normal circumstances. Hopes that technology would deter drugs cheats have been disappointed with the elimination of 17 competitors before the start, including the US relay team. Rumours persist about China's use of gene therapy and the level of corruption.

However, while those such as LibDem leader Nick Clegg and film producer Steven Spielberg are justified in seeking to use the Olympics to raise their objections to these issues, ultimately we have more to gain than lose by engaging with the Chinese than by shunning them. Despite widespread human rights abuses, China has come a long way since dissidents were met with a bullet in the head. Today, against the odds, the skies over Beijing are blue and officials have lifted some restrictions placed on journalists. The ancient Olympics were marked first and foremost by a truce. For the 17 days of the games, that should apply also to anti-China sniping. Instead, it should be an opportunity for China and the rest of the world to start understanding each other better.

12:12am today
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