CHINA yesterday said it was regrettable that Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg chose to end his involvement with the Beijing Olympics, but maintained that the upcoming Games would still be a successful one.

The restrained official response came as Beijing sought to minimise the fallout from a public relations disaster that also included an open letter from several Nobel Peace Prize laureates calling on China to do more to help end the violence in Darfur, Sudan.

None of the country's major web portals and newspapers - except the Global Times tabloid - carried news about Spielberg or the letter. Ten ordinary Chinese polled by The Straits Times yesterday all said they were in the dark about this latest development.

More than 200,000 Sudanese have been killed and another 2.5 million displaced since 2003 when a civil conflict broke out in the strife-torn African country, pitting government-backed Arab militias against non-Arab ethnic groups.

Activists campaigning to stop the humanitarian crisis want China to use its economic and political clout with the Sudanese government to end the violence.

But when the Chinese government turned a deaf ear to their demands, the activists began pressuring prominent public figures like Spielberg to disassociate themselves from the 2008 Games until Beijing can be convinced to act.

The acclaimed US director, who has been under intense pressure for over a year, finally caved in this week.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games (Bocog) both avoided criticising Spielberg for his decision.

They stressed instead that China had made 'unremitting and constructive efforts' to resolve the Darfur crisis.
'We express our regret over his recent personal statement,' Bocog said in a statement yesterday.

The ministry's spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters: 'China is also concerned about the humanitarian situation in Darfur. Holding up banners and shouting slogans will not solve the problem. What we need are concrete actions.'

He added that Chinese companies in Sudan had helped build power plants and dug wells, while a team of 140 engineers have also been sent to Darfur as part of a hybrid peacekeeping force.

The Global Times tabloid, the only Chinese newspaper to have carried news of Spielberg's decision, was much less restrained.

'Western exploitation of the Olympics to pressure China immediately provoked much disgust among ordinary Chinese people,' said the tabloid, which is well-known for its nationalistic tone. 'In their view, it's absolutely absurd to place the Darfur issue, so many thousands of miles away, on the head of China.'

A straw poll of 10 ordinary Chinese, however, revealed that views were largely divided. Half of the respondents said Spielberg should not have dropped out, while the other five said they could understand his predicament.

Said Ms Zhang Li, 46, an engineer: 'It's a pity he has withdrawn from the Beijing Olympics. His talents would have brought some originality to the opening ceremony.

'But this is his personal decision. I can understand that.'

Spielberg's no-show is the latest in a series of public relations hiccups for Beijing, including complaints about the government's poor record on human rights and press freedom, as well as concerns about air pollution and food safety.

The Foreign Ministry's Mr Liu insisted, however, that the upcoming Games would not run into trouble.
'All preparation work for the Beijing Olympics is proceeding smoothly,' he said. 'The Chinese people are willing to work with artists from around the world with wisdom and talent, and the Olympic Games will be a success.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on February 15, 2008

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