"GLOBE EDITORIAL: China's political Games August 7, 2008
.... Seven years ago, when Beijing was awarded the right to host the Games, optimists on the International Olympic Committee believed that media scrutiny and an influx of visitors from around the world would strengthen the cause of openness in China.
And yet the opposite has occurred. The run-up to the Olympics offered an occasion to tamp down political protest and sweep up dissidents, all in the name of avoiding embarrassing protests. After an earthquake in Sichuan province, Chinese officials initially showed a willingness to let reporters roam. But as the initial relief effort gave way to tough questions about shoddy construction, the regime's old habits of secrecy and self-preservation won out.
Well, HELLO, AmeriKa, huh?
These instincts are all the more destructive because Beijing is using its growing influence abroad to shield other governments from accountability.
Why do ISRAEL, U.S. and U.N VETOES suddenly pop into my head, readers?
China presents its approach as noninterference in other nations' affairs. But in practice, this means supporting Burmese generals who murder monks, opposing sanctions against a Zimbabwean ruler who steals elections, and buying oil from a Sudanese government that has supervised genocide in Darfur.
ISRAEL, Globe! The murderer of Palestinian children!
And OUR MASS SLAUGHTER in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN off the LIES YOU PROMOTE!!!!
At least the Chinese BUY the OIL; they DON'T INVADE!!!!
As for the election, GEORGE W. BUSH -- TWICE -- and YOU KNOW IT!
So GO BLOW, BG!!!!
--more--"
By the way, those issues never come up when it comes to the $$$ -- nor should they since China is propping up our dollar (and we's torture).
Some Massachusetts life sciences companies are reaching for the gold in China.
Scientific instruments maker PerkinElmer Inc. plans to say today that a Beijing municipal laboratory is deploying one of the Waltham company's mass spectrometers to detect pesticides and some contaminants in food served during the Olympic Games.
The $100,000 machine, used to find volatile organic compounds like those used in paint thinner and other solvents, is expected to be used in a mobile lab run by the City of Beijing. PerkinElmer says the city plans to spot-check food served in the Olympic Village, home to athletes, trainers, and other officials.
Richard Begley, president of the company's analytical sciences unit, said there is "quite a bit" of cachet attached to having some of its equipment used for the Olympics.
Other local instrument makers are also claiming an Olympic link. Waltham-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world's biggest maker of lab equipment, said its devices are being used to monitor air quality and test athletes for drugs. The company also makes food-safety equipment used in China, but couldn't immediately confirm how much is being used for the Games. In addition, Milford-based Waters Corp. said it supplies water- and food-safety equipment to both the Beijing and Chinese central governments, including the lab that bought PerkinElmer's machine.
Other companies also trying to capitalize on the global competition range from Framingham-based Staples Inc. (which is providing furniture) to athletic shoe maker Reebok. The Canton company features NBA basketball star Yao Ming in a Chinese marketing campaign.
But food safety has been a particularly touchy issue since Chinese companies were blamed for exporting everything from pet food to drugs tainted with toxins.
A New York Times story earlier this year suggested the US Olympic Committee was shipping 25,000 pounds of food to China to ease food-safety concerns. The committee has since publicly said it was only shipping food bought by sponsors or products hard to find in China.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has touted its efforts to ensure food is safe, saying 400 public health officers have been tapped to check the quality of food, water, and air."
