The boycott daydream
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 01:37 p.m., April 22, 2008
Updated 01:37 p.m., April 22, 2008
Talk of a boycott of the Beijing Olympics is a delicate flower that seems to thrive only in the glow of the Olympic torch.
Across Europe and into the United States, the torch’s visit in recent weeks brought a wave of calls for a boycott of China’s biggest public relations event to date. But as soon as the torch passed, accompanied by its platoon of running-suited guards, the outrage at China’s treatment of Tibet seemed to ebb.
It was as if the conscience of the world was doing a lackadaisical wave as the torch went by.
Occasional news items make it appear that a boycott could still be possible. Often, those items contain references to a supposed boycott of the opening ceremony by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angel Merkel.
But Brown has said he never intended to attend the opening ceremony, although he will be at the closing ceremonies. Merkel said she has no intention of participating in a boycott.
Of course, it is possible that Brown and Merkel are parsing their words, wanting to communicate to their supporters that they are upset by China’s actions in Tibet and at the same time, avoid annoying an important trading partner.
President George Bush apparently never even considered missing the opening ceremony. That is not surprising. The United States owes China a great deal — literally. As the U.S. national debt has mounted over the past seven years, much of the money to fight the wars and cut the taxes has come from China.
Meanwhile, China has become the new frontier for American business. The Chinese economic boom, fueled by the sale of cheap goods to the West, has created a growing market in that country for western goods — from processed food from Kansas to Buicks made by General Motors at Chinese factories.
According to the U.S.-China Business Council, Kansas exported $489 million worth of goods to China last year. China was the state’s fifth-ranking export customer. For the United States as a whole, China is the third-largest customer, accounting for $65.2 billion in exports in 2007.
When the United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the decision had little economic effect on this country. Trade with the Soviet Union was minimal.
But a boycott of the Beijing Olympics — China’s big show and bid for world status — could provoke economic actions by the Chinese that might damage the already frail U.S. economy. Other Western nations are also vulnerable.
So a boycott of the 2008 Olympics is not in the cards — and neither is a relaxation in the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.