KEY POINTS:
HUMAN RIGHTS
China has changed since 1989, when thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators were massacred around Tiananmen Square. Interference by the state in people's lives has diminished, but China still executes far more people than any other country. The slightest attempt to promote independence in Tibet or self-determination in Xinjiang is ruthlessly stamped out, and inconvenient critics can be sent to labour camps without trial. During the Olympics, three "protest areas" have been set aside, but they are kilometres from any sports venue, and organisers must obtain a permit.
POLLUTION AND ENVIRONMENT
Double-digit growth means China, which uses 40 per cent of the world's coal, has overtaken the US to become the world's largest emitter of CO2. Beijing is one of the world's dirtiest cities, choked with smog that is often two or three times the maximum allowed by the World Health Organisation. The Government spent nearly £9 billion ($24 billion) to deal with the pollution and fill the capital with flowers and trees for the Games, but had to take drastic action, including removing half the capital's cars, closing dirty factories and suspending construction, when the smog proved stubborn. Even now it is touch and go whether the air will stay clear.
CORRUPTION
Public anger at corruption has caused several outbreaks of violence, and the Communist Party has identified the "grim and arduous task" of fighting graft as central to its survival. The collapse of many schools in the Sichuan earthquake was blamed on shoddy construction, passed by corrupt officials. The same problem is said to underlie poor food safety, and lack of health and safety enforcement at work. The worst flashpoint is the eviction of farmers and seizure of collectively owned land for development. A report by China's audit office said city governments kept more than 70 per cent of revenues from land sales off their books.
CENSORSHIP
More reporting of natural disasters and social issues has been allowed in recent years, but control of the media remains central to the Communist Party's grip on power. Last year Beijing removed travel restrictions on foreign journalists based in China, but rather than easing curbs on dissent, as the Olympics movement was promised, they tightened before the Games.
OLYMPICS VENUES
This is where the power and organisational ability of the Chinese, and the importance of the Games to the Government, can be seen and felt. There are 31 Beijing Olympics venues, of which 12 are new, 11 are older buildings that have been extensively remodelled and eight are temporary structures. The centrepiece is the Olympic Stadium, the "Bird's Nest", which will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 29th Olympiad, as well as track and field events.
SWEATSHOP LABOUR AND CHILD EXPLOITATION
Hundreds of child slaves were discovered working in brick kilns in Shanxi and Henan provinces in central China last year. Child labour continues in poor and remote areas, even though it is officially illegal. Sweatshop conditions remain widespread, particularly in the southern industrial regions, although a growing labour shortage is forcing employers to treat their workforce better. The Olympics will draw attention to another class of exploited children: some young Chinese athletes have come up through special schools that train children from a very early age and put them under intense pressure to succeed.
INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION
China played an "honest broker" role in helping to find a deal on North Korean nuclear weapons in six-party talks in Beijing, and exerted pressure on the Myanmar regime to allow in some international aid after this year's cyclone. But it remains allergic to any suggestion of sanctions against international wrongdoers on which it is increasingly reliant for oil, minerals and other raw materials. It vetoed a UN Security Council move for sanctions on Zimbabwe, and is trying to stop the International Criminal Court's charge of genocide against President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan over Darfur.
TOURIST FACILITIES
Beijing has invested heavily in public transport for the Games, including four high-speed trains, extra bus routes, and three new subway lines, one of which goes to the airport. But hotels hoping to cash in have been disappointed. Some at the top end were renting rooms, for the whole of August only, at £12,000 a time, but visa restrictions, aimed at maintaining security, and bad publicity since the Tibet crackdown this year, have forced a dramatic cut in room rates. City tourism officials say four-star hotels are only 50 per cent booked.
MILITARY EXPANSION AND ARMS SALES
Sudan and Zimbabwe are among China's clients for arms exports, often used to cement relations with countries that have mineral resources. The arms industry is part of a huge increase in Chinese military spending, which has risen by an average of 15.5 per cent annually for the past 14 years, says the consultancy Jane's. Nuclear-armed, with an ever more sophisticated conventional arsenal and the biggest army in the world, China is well-equipped to intimidate its neighbours.
- INDEPENDENT
