An article published Tuesday in the Focus of the Swedish Daily (Svenska Dagbladet or Svd) says that to boycott the Beijing Olympics hits in the wrong way.
The article titled Unfair Judgment about China was written by Li Silfverberg, a Phd student in Sinology at Stockholm University. Silfverberg also got a master degree in International and Comparative Legal Studies in London.
Referring to recent reports about China's human rights situation in the Swedish media and mostly western media, the article says that 'now China is criticized for whatever she does or she does not do. Even what China didn't do in Burma (or Darfur) has become a reason for calling for boycotting the Olympics. But China's principle is to respect the sovereignty of other nations and not interfere in other nation's internal affairs.'
About the Tibet issue, the attitude is also 'either now or never', whatever, just put pressure (on China), says the article.
The article continues to say that it is China that should host the Olympics. "But if the country doesn't do as we think or react as a liberal democratic society, then it is bad. China cannot compare with our agenda, but only behave according to its own political history and development".
"We also hear the news that it seems all the things in China become worse because there is no report about what has been improved in China since 2001. We must see this issue with an historical point of view and make a just and fair judgment." says the article.
"Since 2001, China has done a lot of reforms. Here just to mention a few: private ownership of properties, abolition of agricultural tax for 800 million farmers, review of all the local death penalty sentence by the Supreme Court of China and abolition of all kinds of administrative punishment. There is internet police, but millions of bloggers in China can write whatever they want. The role of the National People's Congress has been more important and local democratic elections are experimenting in China," says the article.
It says that these reforms should be praised but not be punished according to western standards. Instead people should listen to what China identify as its own problems.
It is also important to mention that China has developed in the first hand not through western democratic path, but chosen to reform and modernize economy. In this reform process, China builds right systems and creates a legal and right based society which lays the foundation for introducing more political reforms. It is worth to support because it gives greater impact on rule of law than democracy. This is also often called 'Chinese characteristics', says the article.
It says that 'Pro-reform leaders can be given support precisely through Olympics to continue reform. Chinese leaders take environment and human rights issues more serious than we thought'.
It also says that debate continues now with the direction towards political boycott because people suddenly realize that a total boycott will make Chinese leaders stronger. It is very likely so. But what can weak leaders do?
The article continues to say that 'European political boycott will lead to nowhere but only a theatre to the domestic voters. For ordinary Chinese it indicates that we don't respect Olympic spirit. No matter what we think, China is understood as a successful example for many countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa'.
"An absent Europe at the Olympic opening ceremony only signal an envious and backward Europe", concludes the article.
According to the Svd report, the latest opinion poll shows that majority of the Swedish people oppose to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeldt also opposes that. 55% of the people being asked said 'no' to boycotting while 31% said 'yes' and 14% said they do not know.
Meanwhile, 82% of the people said 'no' to a total boycotting while 11% think Swedish players should not go to Beijing.
Vice President of IOC and Swedish Olympic Committee Gunilla Lindberg said it was good to have a debate about the issue. But she couldn't understand why people want to boycott the sports event, reports the Svd.
"The word boycott doesn't exist in sports," said Lindberg.
She said 'most politicians who said they wanted to boycott the ceremony were actually not invited. They said that just in order to gain some points from voters'.
By Xuefei Chen People's Daily Online correspondent in Stockholm.
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