Great Wall 5: China Prepares for the Olympics with Anti-Terrorism Exercises

The Big Picture posted a series of brilliant images that capture the robustness of anti-terrorism preparations for the Olympic Games, set to begin in Beijing on August 8, 2008 at 8 pm. (That’s 8/8/08 at 8, an especially auspicious time owing to the number 8.)

Official caption:

In this photo released by the official Xinhua news agency, members of China’s armed police demonstrate a rapid deployment during an anti-terrorist drill held in Jinan, east China, on Wednesday July 2, 2008, roughly one month ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. (Source: The Big Picture, Boston.com - July 9, 2008)

With the volume and diversity of anti-terrorism measures displayed, some may wonder if preparations are warranted. Those who argue the measures are warranted note a series of incidents in early 2008 - including a failed airliner hijacking, the discovery of a Xinjiang-based Olympic terror plot, Uighur and pro-Tibet protests, and an incident where Australian tourists were hijacked while visiting the Terracotta soldiers in Xian - all as evidence of the potential for terrorists to disrupt the Olympics. In Xinjiang, reports of various plot arrests continue.

The seriousness of these threats is underscored by the consequences for their masterminds if uncovered by Chinese officials.

Terrorism usually is not a palpable threat in China, where the authoritarian regime takes an unflinching approach toward maintaining social stability. (Source)

To wit, China recently executed two Uighurs after their conviction on charges of terror-related activities.

…the pair were paraded before locals before being executed…The two men who were convicted in a trial last November, were executed as soon as they were sentenced on July 9. (Source)

However, critics believe China’s claims of terrorist plots, which seemed peak around the pro-Tibet protests in March and April 2008, are sensationalized or fabricated as a ruse to divert attention.

Most likely, fearful Chinese authorities are exaggerating or possibly fabricating such plots to justify further repressive measures in Xinjiang and Tibet until the recent wave of popular unrest, and international attention to Beijing’s human rights abuses, dissipates. [emphasis added] (Source)

Others theorize the anti-terrorist activity may originate from a number of other Chinese priorities. Among them:

Russell Leigh Moses, a China analyst based in Beijing, says that affair clearly provided the authorities with an opportunity to reiterate that the rulers of the People’s Republic would brook no resistance to their will in troubled areas like Xinjiang and Tibet. [emphasis added] …”It’s not what a lot of people outside China expected from the Games. I think there has been a conscious decision at the highest levels of the party that showing some teeth for deterrence sake is much more domestically viable than marching off into the unknown of reform and relaxation.”

…

Some observers also wondered at the timing of the announcement coming as it did smack in the middle of the annual session of the [National People's Congress], when media attention is focused on the capital. “This is exactly the kind of thing that happens around the time of the National People’s Congress,” [emphasis added] …”Cadres who don’t necessarily get noticed a lot normally want to be seen as publicly carrying out the orders of the central government.” (Source)

A full discussion of terrorism plots, China, and the Olympics is available in a recording from The Diane Rehm Show at The Brookings Institution.

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Tagged as: china, olympics, terrorism