China promises ‘great’ Olympics as HR clamour fails to unnerve govt

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BEIJING, Aug 7: US President George W. Bush and a host of other world leaders poured into the Chinese capital on Thursday amid a proud announcement by China that it was ready to stage one of the greatest Olympics ever, even as pollution concerns and human rights controversies hung over final preparations for the opening ceremony.

More than 80 heads of state and government, and royals are expected to attend Friday’s opening ceremony of what could be the most political Olympics in decades.

The ceremony will kick off at 8pm (1200 GMT) and according to China’s meteorological agency forecast for Friday is overcast skies with a slight chance of showers in the afternoon. But relief may come by the weekend, with a prediction of moderate rain that could help wash out pollutants

Before arriving in Beijing, Bush repeatedly highlighted during a speech in Thailand Washington’s “deep concerns over religious freedom and human rights” in China.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a fluent Mandarin speaker, also pledged before departing for Beijing on Thursday to raise China’s human rights record with the Chinese leadership.

Ahead of his departure, French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday sent China a list of prisoners and rights activists whose cases were a matter of concern for the European Union, the French foreign ministry said.

Sarkozy is expected leave China shortly after the opening ceremony.

China has repeatedly said that politics should play no part in the Beijing Olympics, amid some controversies in the run-up to the Games such as the issue of Tibet, media freedom and detention of dissidents.

Other leaders who arrived on Thursday included Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Philippines President Gloria Arroyo, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.

Ghanaian President John Kufuor, Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza, Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and Mozambique’s President Armando Guebuza also arrived, according to the agency.

Beijing declared on Thursday it was ready to stage one of the greatest Olympics ever. As the world’s best athletes poured into Beijing and the Olympic flame passed over the Great Wall, Games organisers sought to shift global attention to what they promised would be a spectacular celebration of sport.

“We have prepared for the Beijing Olympics for seven years and now we are ready... we are very confident indeed that we will stage a successful Olympics,” organising committee spokesman Sun Weide said.

“Of course we hope that these will be a great Games, even the greatest.”

The Olympics offer to highlight China’s social and economic transformation, similar to the 1964 Games for Japan and the 1988 event for South Korea.

“China is a nation in transition, with a great future, tremendous potential and some challenges,” International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said after arriving in Beijing.

“I believe history will view the 2008 Olympics as a significant milestone in China’s remarkable transformation.”

Nevertheless, the vast array of controversies that have swirled around the Olympics this year continued to bedevil the Chinese leadership, from the smog that has stubbornly hung over Beijing to human rights storms.

A mixture of pollution and fog again cut visibility across Beijing despite much publicised emergency measures to improve air quality.

The pollution has been particularly embarrassing for China because it has highlighted to the world one of the worst side-effects of its historic modernisation drive — massive environmental degradation.

China’s human rights record remained under a fierce Olympic spotlight with over 40 athletes due to compete in Beijing sending a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao expressing their concern over the issue.

Bush arrived in Beijing from Thailand after delivering a speech in which he raised “deep concerns” about China’s respect for human rights.

“The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings,” Bush said, triggering an indignant response from Beijing.

“We firmly oppose any words and deeds that use human rights and religion to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

Enthusiasm for the Games among China’s more than 1.3 billion people has been so strong that tickets have sold out for the first time in Olympic history.

More than 100,000 security personnel are patrolling Beijing, anti-missile barriers have been set up near the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium, and the military and police are on guard around the country.