The Olympic torch relay is the symbolic start to the world's greatest event. In keeping with China's aim of the Beijing Games being a showcase of the nation's emergent might, what will be the most grandiose such run ever kicked off in Tiananmen Square yesterday amid fanfare and celebration.
Tight security and the acknowledgement by Premier Wen Jiabao that protests could disrupt the relay highlighted another facet of the event. Protests by Tibetan activists that marred the lighting ceremony for the torch in Greece last week were a likely foretaste of what runners could expect along the 137,000km route through 20 countries. Large demonstrations are planned by critics of China's human rights and environmental records along the way.
Concerns about China's social development amid its burgeoning economic growth are justified. But there are well-established mechanisms through which these can be pointed out. The Olympics are not such a place. Never before in the 72-year history of the torch relay has it been targeted in such a manner.
But Beijing should not be surprised that such efforts are being made to hijack its coming out party. Like any big country, China naturally attracts criticism for some of its domestic and foreign policies both at home and overseas. The country needs to learn how to deal with them with confidence, taking suitable measures to address shortcomings and articulate its position with eloquence.
For too long, mainland officials' instinctive response to any attempt to challenge authority was to crack down on those who dared to speak out and to denounce them as having ulterior motives. That is a certain recipe for a public relations disaster. The leadership has to realise that maintaining stability does not mean keeping a lid on those who hold different views or values. A modern society has to learn to live with diversity. This can only come about through respecting the rights of citizens to air their grievances. The media has to be allowed to operate freely so that there can be transparency. For their part, critics need to know that these are changes that cannot take place overnight. They will certainly not come about through protests at the Olympics; such measures are guaranteed to only harden Beijing's resolve to not listen.
Although the Olympic Games are a sporting event, their role in building national pride and projecting an international image can also be perceived as making the occasion a political one. That is why governments and groups opposed to the policies of the host nation have in the past resorted to snubbing the opening ceremony or withdrawing their athletes. Such occurrences were common during the cold war between the former Soviet Union and the United States, most notably for the Olympics in Moscow in 1980 and in Los Angeles four years later.