Last week I wrote about a major French presidential candidate who suggested that France boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in protest of China’s policy regarding Sudan. Many Darfur activists view China’s financial and diplomatic ties with the Khartoum government as enabling the genocide in Darfur. In a Wednesday Wall Street Journal editorial, actress and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Mia Farrow accused China of “bankrolling Darfur’s genocide.” Thursday, China responded to the growing campaign to use the Olympics as leverage to end the Darfur crisis. Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, “We don’t think it’s appropriate to connect the Darfur issue with the Olympic Games in Beijing. People who try to connect the Darfur issue with the Olympics in an attempt to win ballots or increase their reputation are totally wrong on that scheme.” Qin reinforced China’s commitment to humanitarian efforts in Darfur and added, “We are confident we will hold a successful and high-quality Olympic Games.” Wouldn’t this be ultimate pie in China’s face if after years of planning and hyping these 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a group of Western nations did not show up to compete? If after years of meticulous logistical tweaking, it was actually China’s politics that unhinged the Beijing games. Qin told reporters he did not know who Mia Farrow was and that he did not read the Wall Street Journal editorial. Not shocked on either count. The guys in China’s Foreign Ministry don’t strike me as big fans of the Woody Allen films of the 80s and early 90s.

•AP: Calls to Use Beijing Games to Pressure China on Sudan
•Xinhua: China Blasts Attempts to Link Olympics to Darfur Issue

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