Archive for the ‘Beijing’ tag
China Caves to International Pressure
One interesting Olympics-related story which I haven’t seen extensively discussed in the MSM is China’s decision to prevent Robert Mugabe from attending the games. It seems that given how much grief (much of it deserved) China has gotten for supporting corrupt African regimes and its nice to see that they can be swayed by international opinion, even on minor issues. Interestingly, Mugabe made it as far as Hong Kong before being told he was not welcome in Beijing. I would be interested to hear more about whether he has planning a stopover in Hong Kong or whether his plans were abruptly cut short and he just had to land in Hong Kong to refuel before heading home. For that matter, does anybody know whether he has a Zimbabwean Air Force Billion (which was an Air Force One but has since been hurt by inflation)?
Impressive opening ceremony
I’m watching the Olympics opening ceremony right now on NBC, and the Parade of Nations has just begun. I’ve admittedly been somewhat apathetic about the Olympics and skeptical of the pomp and fanfare, but I have to say that I was deeply impressed by the Zhang Yimou-choreographed spectacle that was the first half of the ceremony.
Funny moment: George W. Bush peering through binoculars at the Turkmenistan delegation marching around the track.