Anyone dealing with mainland China, whether its government and agencies should remember this,

1 China is a communist country

2 China has a command economy

3 The communists control the investments in foreign countries through government agencies

4 To a communist the "end justifies the means"

5 To a communist sport is an extension of politics

6 There is limited freedom for politicial statement by the people in China

7 China intends to become a world power threatening the free world

8 "Human rights" do not exist in communist thinking normally only when it suits them.

The west should exploit the internal weaknesses in China to its own advantage.

caveat emptor.

Some comments from some UK forums that I am a member of include:-

I don't watch sports but I am boycotting the Olympics!

Mixing politics with sports is ok? Tell that to the families of the Israelis killed in Munich. Yes, terrorists have a political agenda too.

Watching and supporting the Olympics isn't an endorsement of the hosting country nor its policies but rather a celebration and recognition for the athletes who train long and hard for their dream.

If you want to effectively "boycott" China then stop buying their goods and or services. As long as they are fiscally stable, there will not be any improvement upon their policies, just lip service. To think differently is simply being naive.

Regards,

Nano-Nano

The Olympics is not just another sporting event, why do you think there is such a heated competition to try and decide which country should cost it every 4 years? To think that the Olympics is just a sports competition is simply being naive.

The Olympic torch arrives in China: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7321960.stm

China accused of upping the ante against dissent ahead of the games:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7325754.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7327718.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7329839.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7327763.stm