In Hong Kong, a veteran Tibet watcher also cautioned that “the anti-China protests and biased coverage by mainstream Western media” could backfire on the cause for greater autonomy in Tibet and make rational dialogue between the two camps almost impossible.

Protests against Beijing’s human rights record and its handling of Tibet, which some on the mainland see as anti-China, have dogged the relay since it began last month.

Chaos broke out in London and Paris where the flame had to be put out several times, and wheelchair-bound Chinese torch-bearer Jin Jing was attacked. In San Francisco, the relay had to play hide-and-seek with thousands of demonstrators and finished prematurely. Protests in Buenos Aires were peaceful and it was trouble-free in Tanzania, the first leg in Africa.

The protests, widely reported by Western media, have aroused deep resentment among Chinese, both at home and abroad.

The outrage in China, especially among the young, can be read on flooded Internet bulletin boards, all carrying virulent anti-foreign sentiments, the Singaporean leader told a forum at the London School of Economics last week, adding: “Were they in the English language, young Americans and Europeans would realize that these displays of contempt for China and things Chinese will have consequences in their lifetime, well beyond the Olympic Games. So whatever the intentions of the demonstrators, the people of China believe they want to inflict maximum humiliation on China and the Chinese people more than the Chinese government.”

China has much to be proud of, especially the continued progress in economic and social reconstruction during the past three decades, but it cannot hide the appalling conditions in its slums or the poverty of the masses who still eke out a living in parts of the countryside.

At this stage it looks unlikely that any athletes will boycott the Games. A few government leaders may decide not to attend the opening ceremonies, but this will just be gesture politics.

The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, describes the anti-Chinese protests that have overshadowed the relay as a “crisis.” But he would not press China on its crackdown in Tibet or on other political issues, in keeping with the IOC’s long-held belief that the Olympics should not be politicized.

However, there should be a concerted effort on the part of all democratic governments to persuade the Chinese government that if it wants to enhance its prestige and its national interests it must do much more to support human rights. This means not only agreeing to hold constructive talks with the Dalai Lama about Tibet, but also releasing human rights activists held in mainland prisons.

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