China has showed their hand with the 2022 Winter Olympics
The following post expresses the opinions of its author, and is not indicative of the views of NU Political Union or its board.
There’s no denying that allowing Nazi Germany to host the 1936 Summer Olympics was a mistake. It allowed the country to use the West’s free press to mask its human rights abuses with the glory that comes with being a host country. Unfortunately, we are seeing a repetition of this mistake in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games currently going on right now, hosted in Beijing, China.
Kicking off with the Opening Ceremony on February 4th, 2022, the Winter Olympics have officially begun. Usually, the Olympics are a time for countries to put their differences aside and focus on friendly competition, allowing each country to present their athletic prowess to the rest of the world. However, this year is different. The political controversy of these Games is unmatched compared to Games since the 1980 Olympics. Surrounded in controversy, the Chinese have used this opportunity to show who they are in the post-pandemic world.
When China hosted the Summer Games in 2008, it was a very different country than it is today. China in 2008 was an emerging economy, still finding its place on the world stage. The world was excited to see a new China, one that could be reasoned with and open to relationships that allowed for mutual prosperity. President Xi hadn’t yet ascended to power, and the country seemed to have slightly more civil liberties than it has now. Unfortunately, with the rise of President Xi and recent trends directly towards authoritarianism (such as a bill passed in 2018 that allows Xi a third term) and the continued purging of political enemies, China has taken a path the world was hopeful they would reject.
Today, the world has many grievances with China’s treatment of both its citizens and other countries in the region. The country has enacted a crushing political crackdown in both Tibet and Hong Kong, which has drawn strong international criticism. China has also repeatedly denied credible allegations of mass roundups and forced labor of Uyghur muslims in its western region of Xinjiang. The treatment of the Uyghurs has resulted in a diplomatic boycott of the Games by the United States as well as thirteen other countries.
Even in the several days since the Olympics have started, China seemed eager to grow its power and influence in its geopolitical sphere. President Xi met with Russian President Putin before the Opening Ceremony, which resulted in a joint statement being issued. The two leaders noted they both opposed any expansion of NATO and any declaration of independence from Taiwan. This statement comes under inauspicious circumstances, as Russia has amassed a force of 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine.
The diplomatic boycott comes after repeated calls from US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for China’s geopolitical behavior to be sanctioned. Democratic Representative Tim Ryan argued that the Games should have been moved and that China has demonstrated they “do not deserve the honor associated with hosting the Olympics.” Some lawmakers have called for a complete boycott of the Games; however, an equal amount say a complete boycott is too far. Prohibiting US athletes from competing would be “counterproductive” and “unfair” said Republican Senator Mitt Romney. Romney argued as well that an economic and diplomatic boycott was the right move from countries protesting the unjust treatment of the Uyghurs.
Responding the boycott, China has said retaliation is possible, though the regime did not specify what form it could take. The US and other boycotting countries are committing a “naked political provocation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, and offending the entirety of the Chinese population by refusing to make an appearance at the Games.
The rising tensions between the US and China have resulted in fears within Congressional Leadership emerging from US intelligence that this retaliation may harm the athletes, coaches, staff, and journalists that journey to China for the Games. “Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government, because they are ruthless,” Speaker Pelosi said when asked what athletes should say if asked about the human rights abuses.
There is no question athletes and their associates are in danger while in China if they fall out of favor with the government. Athletes are under jurisdiction of Chinese law, even within the Olympic bubble. This has led to a real-time study of censorship. US athletes were warned not to speak out against the CCP and its actions, even on social media (which they are technically allowed to do, even by Chinese law).
Prior to the Games, the FBI issued a warning that all US citizens should refrain from bringing their personal devices to the Games and instead use burner phones. Some countries have already been handing out burner phones to their athletes. Journalists should be especially cautious. NPR cybersecurity correspondent Jenna McLaughlin said that people in China should have “no expectation of privacy” and that functionally all of their data will be vulnerable.
The Chinese government has shown their hand. Emerging as a ruthless, modern-day security state, the 1984-like nation has shown it is willing to stop at nothing to accomplish its goals. Unable to be reasoned with, it repeatedly denies any claim that could even possibly reflect poorly on the nation. The CCP is using the Games as an attempt to hide its atrocious acts and portray itself as a benevolent soon-to-be hegemon.
However, in their attempt to use the Games as a cover up for their atrocities, the Chinese government has done just the opposite. The Olympics are just the beginning. China has shown it is unable and unwilling to compromise on the most basic aspects of diplomacy, even during a time when countries traditionally put aside their differences in the name of sport. China has used the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to show its hand as a nation that will not respond to reasonable, international calls for improvement. Now the question remains, how will the rest of the world respond?
"Soldier shoots perfect ten at 2010 winter Olympics" by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0