China’s tireless pursuit of economic dominance has, in recent years, included a pretty smart political policy … non-interventionalism. The official policy is to worry about domestic issues and avoid interfering with other countries’ business. So it’s very insulting to their communist party when we interfere with what they see as their internal matters … when we spin a story of “criminal activity” on its heels, criticizing their law enforcement and questioning their sovereignty. They think that they’re big boys who can handle their own affairs.

Even more, the people of China have been intensely proud of the Olympics for many years … it’s a coming-of-age for them, a chance to peacefully show the world how wonderful their beloved homeland is. To them, we’re interrupting this process with something loud, ugly, and violent … and it’s stirring up their national pride and desire to unify. We’re crashing their wedding feast with an out-of-tune marching band, and they’re ready to pounce.

I’m particularly interested to see how the Western and Chinese media present things during the Olympics themselves, to see the tone and language that they decide to end up using. It’s a big stage, that’s for sure …

Overall, I’m sad. China and the West do not understand each other, and now the situation will only worsen. The western media has very little access to China … so their reporting will continue to be biased and inaccurate. And the current full-frontal assault on China’s human rights record, including talk of an Olympic boycott, is a terrible way to approach the situation and seek out a resolution. China, which sees all of this as a purely domestic issue, will continue to come down with a heavy hand, further exacerbating the deep-rooted hatred and resentment that the Tibetan people feel. The violence will continue but will not be reported accurately from any news outlet … and China’s ego and pride will cause heightened critique and a loss of face around the globe while spurring on nationalism and support within its borders.

It makes me sad, for I really do love China and its people. What do you think, feier?