Chnnelsvault

China is keen to show its best face at the games and that face is indeed a lot better than it once was. But do not expect any dramatic slide from authoritarianism

TENS of billions of dollars have been spent, lavish sport venues erected and the world's biggest airport terminal built. Hundreds of thousands of police, soldiers and civilian security volunteers have been mobilised. Beijing is braced for the Olympic games and the country's leaders for a huge political challenge. For them the event is about how an emerging great power will be judged by a sceptical world.

In a country still struggling to cope with the needs of millions of homeless and bereaved citizens in the aftermath of May's deadly earthquake, and where recent outbreaks of unrest have roiled many towns, the leadership has declared that putting on a good games is its "number one priority". Communist Party and government officials at every level know that their careers are at risk if anything occurs on their watch that disrupts the Olympics. ...