Paper
Douglas H. Paal
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REQUIRED IMAGE
In The Media
Evaluating the Olympics
China used the Beijing Olympics as a showcase for its new found economic clout and ascendancy as a leading member of the international community. Although the resounding success of the Games has bolstered China's authoritarian regime and shielded it from the scrutiny it deserves on human rights issues, China deserves praise for embracing the world.
Published on Aug 26, 2008
Source: C-SPAN's Washington Journal
China used the Beijing Olympics as a showcase for its new found economic clout and ascendancy as a leading member of the international community. Douglas Paal explained on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal that President Bush gave legitimacy to China’s regime by attending the Games; an important gesture that should be repaidd with greater cooperation on the challenges the U.S. faces in places like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and North Korea.
Although the resounding success of the Games has bolstered China's authoritarian regime and shielded it from the scrutiny it deserves on human rights issues, China deserves praise for embracing the world. Paal noted that there is an important contrast between the way that the Chinese announced their resurgence to the international community -- by hosting a successful Games -- and the way that the Russians did so-- by invading a sovereign country and annexing territory. Pressuring China for more reforms through sanctions has proven an ineffective strategy. A more successful approach is for the U.S. to push forward with the current strategic economic dialogue.
About the Author
Douglas H. Paal
Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program
Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.
- America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia
- U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year MarkQ&A
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Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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