Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
Special report: Dalai clique's separatist activities condemned
BRUSSELS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament (EP) on Thursday
passed a resolution urging European Union (EU) leaders to boycott the opening
ceremony of the Beijing Olympics despite opposition from the international
community to attempts to politicize the games.
The resolution urges for "a common EU position with regard to attendance at
the Olympic Games opening ceremony with the option of non-attendance in the
event" unless the Chinese government resumes talks with the Dalai Lama.
However, the resolution was branded by Member of European Parliament (MEP)
Adrian Severin as "hypocritical, short-sighted and irresponsible."
The Romania MEP told a press conference following the vote that the EP had
politicized human rights issues by approving the resolution, thus missing the
opportunity to exert its influence for the best solution to the Tibet issue.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that there was sufficient evidence to
prove that the Lhasa riots were masterminded by the Dalai Lama clique and staged
by "Tibet independence" forces in and outside China.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said on Monday that the Chinese
government is willing to continue contacts and talks with the Dalai Lama as long
as he truly abandons advocating "Tibet independence," stops activities aimed at
splitting the motherland and current activities to fan and mastermind violent
crimes in Tibet and other regions and to sabotage the upcoming Beijing Olympic
Games, and admits the fact that Tibet and Taiwan are both inalienable parts of
the Chinese territory.
Meanwhile, a number of governments and senior officials worldwide have
warned against linking sports with politics.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the Olympic Games is an
opportunity for making peace and should not be linked with politics.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said Tuesday he did not believe in
any boycott of the Beijing Olympics and the world should not mix athletics with
politics.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on March 28 that he
was opposed to a boycott of the Olympics opening ceremony over the Tibet issue.
President of the Singapore National Olympic Council Teo Chee Hean has also
voiced opposition to politicizing the Olympic Games.
Commentary: Paris slaps its own face
BEIJING, April 11 -- Some French media seemed quite
excited about what happened during the Olympic torch relay in Paris a few days
ago. Le Figaro ran a headline story titled "The torch's fiasco in Paris", while
the top story in La Libération reads as "Give China a slap in the face",
describing the "fiasco" in a kind of schaden-freude. Hysterical excitement can
be seen in their descriptions.
We Chinese people just want to ask: Are these French
newspapers remaining the papers once known for being serious and objective? Is
this still the country called France that advocates civic virtues and respects
other peoples? Full story
Commentary: Olympic boycott will never force China to compromise with Dalai clique
BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Lobbyist and activists who serve anti-China plots might gloatingly, but mistakenly, think they have found a soft rib in China when Tibetan riots coincidentally occurred dramatically with the approaching of the
Beijing Olympic Games.
They called for boycott of the Olympiad, hoping to make China submit to their demands, but they apparently overestimated their weight, no matter what heavyweights they could be. Full story
