Liu Jingmin, vice mayor of Beijing and executive vice president of the Beijing Olympic Committee says the city was ready for the vote and brushed aside rumours of a Western conspiracy to scuttle its bid for the second time.
Liu said, “there are no problems which can’t be overcome. We are very confident”.
In his interview with Reuters, Liu hinted that granting Beijing the Olympics might even improve civil liberties in China. “The last two years have been the best period for human rights in China’s history”, he said. “But that’s not to say there are no human rights problems. We have said many times our bid for the 2008 Olympic Games is to promote development in many areas, including human rights”.
He said for example, restrictions on the media were already starting to ease. “I think from now on supervision by the media will develop continuously. It is not, as some say, that there is no right to criticize in China”.
Liu also accused Tibet activists of being out of touch with reality in the Himalayan region which China occupied in 1950. “They do not represent the Tibetan people”, he said. “The broad masses of the Tibetan people support the Beijing Bid”.
The Dalai Lama, Tibets exiled spiritual leader, has said China should be allowed to stage the Games only if it would advance the cause of human rights.
Liu denied China was politicizing the Olympics by offering to let Taiwan stage events only under the “one China” principle — that there is one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of it. He said the IOC required the Olympics to be staged in one country only.
And he dismissed concerns that U.S. network NBC, which has paid billions of dollars for exclusive U.S. televison rights to the Games, is pushing for Toronto to ensure live television in its own prime time.
He also said Beijing had no complaints over rumours that Paris and Toronto were teaming up to oust Beijing after French and Canadian bid officials met for a private dinner.
Meanwhile Beijing is getting a boost from Luciano Pavarotti, who has endorsed China’s bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pavarotti, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo (The Three Tenors) are performing in Beijing this weekend before an audience of 30,000 at the Forbidden City, in the biggest of a string of Olympics-related events meant to show off Beijing’s ability to hold major international gatherings.
Pavarotti said, “I think Beijing deserves the Olympics. And hopefully these Olympics are bringing here a diffferent kind of…feeling and hopefully is the first step toward peace in the world”.
The $10-million production is being sponsored by the Olympic bid committee and will be followed by a banquet at the great Hall of the People. Tickets range in price from $60 to $2,000.
