1 of 22

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 3

happening in Darfur region is also being highlighted by human rights groups as China plays a important role with Sudan. China provides Sudan with millions of dollars worth of conventional weapons and military hardware while buying Sudan's vast oil resources. This has resulted in China becoming Sudan's largest investor and trade partner, giving China a considerable influence in Sudan's internal and foreign politics. Yet China has not used this influence to help Sudanese government stop the Darfur genocide or to convince the Sudanese government to allow UN troops into the country.

China has also been facing other internal pressure from its rebellious north-western Xinjiang province. The province is home to majority Muslim Uighurs, many of whom want independence from China to forum a new nation they call East Turkestan. China brands the Xinjiang separatists as terrorists and has claimed more than 260 terror acts have been committed in the province over the past two decades. But many around the world are left wondering if China is just elevating the terror threats to use the Olympics as a means to clamp down on dissidents, separatists and political activists.

Western nations and some of China's biggest trade partners have also been worrying about China's recent growth because of the economic implications. In 2007, China claimed a overall 11.9% growth in its economy, meaning it had a income of 3.57 trillion US dollars, putting China at odds with Germany, who currently holds the title of the world's third largest economy but has only 2.8% growth ratings for 2007. Many governments have complained that Chinese products are unrealistically cheap in their countries because, they argue, the yuan has been kept too low. Thus hurting nations trading in Chinese markets at the same time making Chinese products cheap enough to be sold anywhere and thus hurting the local markets. This unbalance in trade has led some western nations to file complaints with the World Trade Organization. And recently, China was rocked with safety concerns as many of their products were found to be defective, badly tested or containing dangerous elements or compounds.

This and many other concerns are resulting in protests around the world, as seen by the results of the Torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco. Some world leaders have also expressed that they will not attend the opening ceremony after boycotting the games were ruled out as a possible action to symbolically protest aganist Chinese

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about 2008 Olympics: The impact of international politics on the Beijing Olympics?
We want to hear your view. Write now!