A sporting, and not a political, event

It was in 2005 when I visited China for the first time. I was invited by the Chinese company for which I worked in Venezuela.

I have to be honest and confess that at that moment I was somewhat influenced by the negative views about China that are common in most Western countries.

But I had the opportunity to discover for myself that those views are greatly exaggerated and had nothing to do with the China that I have had the opportunity to really discover, not only in 2005 when I was here for a month but also in 2006 when I stayed for three months, or with the China I have known since I have been working and living here with my wife and daughter since January 2007.

There are a lot of things for which China and its people should be praised.

I wanted to express my dissatisfaction when I noticed some foreign players trying to raise a cloud and negatively influence the international public opinion regarding China on the eve of the forthcoming Olympic Games.

My feeling is that these elements should be ashamed of what they are trying to do. If they want to air opinions about specific subjects or issues in China, they can do so, but not at the expense of ruining the Olympics, particularly when China is making great efforts to ensure a successful sporting event.

My message to the Chinese people would be: do not let these attempts distract you from the objective of organizing an excellent Games.

In the end the truth always prevails and I am sure that the final outcome of this event will make China an example for many countries, including some of the most developed in the world.

Juan Santamaria, a Venezuelan living in Beijing

via e-mail

It was in 2001 that the International Olympic Committee accepted China as an Olympic host. And now, seven years later, with the stadiums built and the landscaping going in around them, China is suddenly accused of being unacceptable - lumped in with Soviet Moscow of 1980, or Nazi Berlin of 1936.

What changed? Certainly not the Chinese central government's Tibet policy.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, one year before the Moscow Games, so the Olympic boycotters then were responding to a new event.

The Dalai Lama, on the other hand, fled Tibet in 1959. Whatever reforms China promised the IOC when it bid for the Games, it was never offering to restore the Dalai Lama to the throne.

The Chinese people are a resolute and a proud nation. They have achieved so much in such a short time.

Since China's opening-up three decades ago, the Chinese people have been trying to know more about the world and have tried to be known. The 2008 Olympics is a golden opportunity in this regard.

As a Chinese diplomat said, "Understanding China - a nation of 1.3 billion people - is necessary to build a harmonious world. Misunderstanding China or hostility toward China would favor neither China nor the world".

James McNaught in Vancouver, Canada

via e-mail

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send mail to Letters to the Editor, China Daily, 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029 China. Send faxes to (86-10) 6491-8377. Send e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 05/06/2008 page9)