CHINA

Beijing OLYMPICS

(Edit script)

18’ – July 2001

LINK

In two days from now (July 13), the International Olympic Committee will choose the host city for the 2008 summer games.

Paris and Toronto are still considered in the running … but the smart money is going on Beijing.

Since losing to Sydney eight years ago, Beijing has worked hard to emulate Sydney’s winning form … even hiring the organisers of the Sydney Games as consultants for its bid.

But not everyone’s cheering them on.

Some human rights groups are appalled by the prospect of a Chinese Olympics, arguing it would legitimise and entrench one of he world’s most repressive dictatorships.

China Correspondent Eric Campbell reports on a behind the scenes contest in which sport is coming a distant third to money and politics.

BEIJING OLYMPICS FCP 133

KIDS WITH DRUMS ON TIIANANMEN SQUARE TAPE 5 15.00

On Tiananmen Square, Beijing, two thousand children beat the drum for China’s Olympic bid.

NATSOT

MAP(removed)

Twelve years ago, Communist authorities massacred student protestors on this square

China has been plagued by claims of massive human rights abuse ever since.

But now China is showing a new face to the world … that of a friendly, open and peaceful country that deserves this ultimate accolade of international respectability.

LIU JINMING WATCHING DISPLAY T5 11.54

A director of the Olympics bid, Vice-Mayor Lui Jingmin, is confident claims of human rights abuse won’t stop China winning.

LIU JINGMIN GRAB T 9 6.15

“Well, we don’t think that will have a huge effect on us. The first thing we’re sure of is that Beijing’s bid for the Olympic Games is a huge opportunity to improve human rights in itself.”

KIDDIES DANCING T5

But many who have been on the receiving end of China’s repression are convinced it would do the opposite.

AUDIO LEAD WEI JINSHENG GRAB

2.41 “If it wins, I’m afraid it would be a great disaster. 2.44 “………………

SYNCH GRAB

2.51 “Because, first of all, the Chinese Government is used to turning sports games and other international events into political events, and using them to show to the people of China that the international community is supporting the one-party rule by the Chinese Communist Party.” 3.00

CU TV MONITOR

“And the winner is, Sydney.”

CHINESE OFFICIAL’S REACTION

Western pressure on human rights helped Sydney narrowly defeat China’s bid to host the 2000 Games.

But this time the calls to engage China have grown louder than calls to isolate it.

The memory of the massacre has faded. The lure of the market has grown

And perhaps most important of all, the city that beat Beijing has joined it.

PTC (TO BE SHOT)

“The slogan for China’s bid is New Beijing, Great Olympics. But their secret weapon is the advice and expertise of Sydney Olympic officials.

For months now, the team that managed the Sydney Games has shaped and refined every aspect of Beijing’s bid, while Australian politicians have enthusiastically backed China’s fitness to host the Games. In this race to win the Olympics Beijing believes Australia’s support will get it across the line.

LIU JINGMIN GRAB

4.29 Many professionals and technicians who worked on Sydney Olympics are now working here in Beijing. (gong zuo) 4.36The foundation of Beijing’s Olympic bid is built upon the success of the Sydney Olympics. 4.40 We’re very grateful for the support given by Australia’s Olympic committee.” (zi chi) 4.48

NATSOT APPLAUSE AS HOLLWAY WALKS TO PODIUM TAPE 12 5.23

Beijing’s consultants include Sydney Olympics Boss Sandy Hollway and most of his senior colleagues from the organising committee SOCOG.

HOLLWAY GRAB

“We must organise sports in the venues but also celebration right across the city.”

Their advice has made Beijing’s bid as impressive and reassuring as Sydney’s.

And their involvement has gone to almost every detail of the bidding process.

PETER PHILLIPS GRAB TAPE 17 2.12

“Helping to draft and then refine and edit the bid books which had to be lodged in Lausanne in January. Then preparing the Beijing presenters for the visit to Beijing by the IOC evaluation commission in February.”

Peter Phillips is, a former diplomat who recruited the SOCOG team for Beijing.

2.33 “The most recent phase of course has been preparing and coaching and assisting the Beijing presenters with the actual presentations which they will make in Moscow.”

OLYMPICS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO EX VHS

No country has worked as hard as China to win the Games.

It sees the Olympics as a chance to take its rightful place on the world stage.

And it’s lobbied assiduously for Western backing.

No country has been as happy to oblige as Australia.

BOB CARR ACTUALITY TAPE

“When I see all your hard work it reminds me of what we went through in Sydney.”

 

In recent months, a steady stream of politicians and officials has passed through Beijing to sell Australia’s Olympics expertise.

RESPONSE IN CHINESE

9.46 “In preparing for the Games and bidding for the Games we are actually learning from Sydney.”

As head of the state that hosted the Olympics, New South Wales Premier Bob Carr was eyeing the multi –billion dollar contracts that could flow from Beijing’s win.

TILT FROM CONSTRUCTION SITE TO BOB CARR ON BALCONY 5.26

“They’re building a … extending the train system, they couldn’t do better than looking at a template of (our) Homebush Bay station…”

Australia has been pitching to all the bid cities but as a regional neighbour with strong commercial ties to China, most believe the greatest spin-offs would be from Beijing.

SANDY HOLLWAY TAPE 11 25.07

“I think there may be a feeling on the part of Australian industry that were Beijing to win there might be specific opportunities here because of the closeness of the relationship and the interest that pre-existed the Games among Australian companies.”

NATSOT ACT DELEGATION MEETING MAYOR AT T13

Canberra’s regional Government has even formed a sister-city relationship with Beijing to enhance its chances of Olympic work.

Part of its pitch for project management contracts is unequivocal support for Beijing’s bid.

“HUMPHRIES SPEECH (ACT CHIEF MINISTER) T3 6.25

“I have issued a media statement today indicating Canberra’s support for Beijing’s bid for the 2008 Games. I hope that will reflect the view of many others around the world that China is a very, very appropriate host for the Games in 2008.”

CHINESE CAMERA CREWS FILMING GROUP PHOTO T3 19.45

Such assurances play well to the Communist leadership … keen to show its people that the world is behind them.

The stance on human rights is also remarkably similar

HUMPHRIES GRAB T3 21.18

“I think engagement and dialogue is a very productive process and I believe that the hosting of the Games in 2008 by Beijing would be a positive way of encouraging that process to continue.”

CUTAWAY OF SOLDIER IN DOORWAY

But many human rights activists find it hard to share the optimism.

WEI JINSHENG (NTSC TAPE)

“5.25 I don’t think such a scenario exists. 5.27 Because it is within the Chinese Communist Party’s fundamental theories that it violates human rights. When given tolerance by the international community, it would only do it more, not less. “ 5.41

WEI JINSHENG WALKING IN WASHINGTON

Wei Jinsheng is one of China’s best-known dissidents.

He spent several years in prison for organising pro-democracy groups and now lives in exile in Washington.

In 1993 as the IOC was about to vote on China’s last bid, China released him from prison early to show its commitment to human rights.

When Beijing lost the bid, they threw him back in prison and added three years to his sentence.

WEI JINSHENG GRAB 11.11

“Since they didn’t have the sincerity to make the slightest improvement in human rights, of course they would throw me back in prison when they didn’t get what they wanted.”

SOLDIERS PARADING IN THEN BEGINNING TO FIGHT (COMPILE TAPE)

This time, China hasn’t bothered with token gestures.

Instead, it has used its firm rule as a selling point for the Games.

In January, foreign media were invited to the launch of a new, anti-crime campaign called “Strike Hard”.

Its organisers linked it directly to the bid.

TRANSLATOR 2.22

“All the policemen in the Public Security Bureau are putting all of their efforts in trying to make a good security environment for Beijing especially the bidding for the 2008 Olympics.”

SOLDIERS THROWING EACH OTHER ON FLOOR

The “Strike Hard” campaign marked a major crackdown on human rights throughout the bidding process.

The targets are major criminals … but in China that includes dissidents, democracy activists and members of unofficial churches.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GRAB

KATHERINE BABAR 0.36

“Particularly in the last six months or so we’ve seen a drastic decline in human rights that we’re concerned with, in particular with the beginning of Strike Hard, executions on a massive scale after summary trials, we’ve seen an expansion of concern about so-called ‘evil cults’ including groups, not just Falun Gong. Also we’ve seen yet again the re-starting of trials against dissidents who all they have done is posting information onto the internet. “

EXECUTION FOOTAGE

China has long led the world in executions … but rarely on the scale of recent months.

According to official figures, China has executed 1,200 people since April.

That is more executions than the rest of the world has carried out over the past two years.

Dissident groups claim hundreds more have died in police custody.

FALUN GONG DOING EXERCISES

Just last month, 14 women belonging to the banned religious sect, Falun Gong, died in a forced labour camp in northern China.

Authorities say they committed suicide.

Falun Gong claims they were beaten to death

SOPHIE WIAO TAPE 1 5.22

“It is bad and we estimate more than 200 hundred people dead because they practised Falun Gong. Most of the cases were tortured to death and of course there are thousands, we estimate 50,000 were in detention centres and 10,000 in the labour camps and more than 1,000 cases in the mental hospitals which has been drugged to disturb the nervous system. And there were up to 600 sentenced to up to 18 years in prison.”

BUS TO RE-EDUCATION CAMP

China is believed to have about 280 labour camps for dissidents and low level criminals. Until now it has never let foreign media inside them.

I was one of four foreign journalists allowed a brief visit to Masanjia … perhaps the most notorious camp of all.

Almost 500 women here are Falun Gong members … detained for offences as slight as distributing leaflets.

The camp commandant, Zhang Chao Yang told us they’d been locked up to free them from an evil cult.

GRAB ZHANG CHAO YANG

“Their outlook is repressed. Once they are free on Falun Gong’s mental control they adopt a positive attitude to life and are filled with gratitude to the Government.”

Their lives are a strict regimen of re-education.

They rise at 5.30 each morning for a day of intense lectures on the evils of Falun Gong. Then they watch videos denouncing it as a cult.

We were able to interview the inmates freely, but only in the presence of camp guards and Government translators.

All of them denied they had been ill-treated.

(wo) “I never ever saw that. We are very happy here. The police officers treat us as their own children. They patiently persude and educate us, so we mentally understand its counter-revolutionary characters which vanish human nature.”

(ben zhi)

Most now agree that Falun Gong was evil.

“falun Gong is a cult”

“Falun Gong is a cult.”

“Falun Gong is a cult.”

They will be rewarded for seeing the light.

The women are held here without trial for between one and three years.

They can be released early if they change their thoughts.

If they don’t, they face solitary confinement.

NATSOT

In one room we found an inmate holding firm to her beliefs.

Xia Yulan used to be a professor … and hasn’t lost the taste for argument.

GRAB 27.41 (zhe ge) “Why did the others change their minds? You should ask them. I still believe Falun Dafa is a special force of the universe. It’s good, that’s why I haven’t transformed. It’s harmless to the State and the nation I don’t want to change.” (zhuan bian)

During our brief visit, we saw no evidence of torture or beatings.

The rooms seemed comfortable.

The paint seemed fresh.

But there was no way of knowing for sure if we were seeing the camp as it really was.

Certainly, the officials saw nothing wrong with locking people up for what they think.

COMMANDANT GRAB T24 3.50

“It is safe to say the vast majority of Falun Gong practitioners have been redeemed to various extents after a period of re-education and rehabilitation.

(OVERLAY THE BEGINNING WITH SILHOUETTE SHOTS OF GUARDS)

“What is not in dispute is that this country remains a dictatorship … or, as the Communist Party calls it, a People’s Democratic Dictatorship. In the twelve years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, China has opened its economy but tightened political control. There is just no tolerance of opposition groups of public criticism or of political protest. And China sees what it does to crush dissent as nobody’s business but its own.”

OLYMPIC FLAGS

For most of the campaign, China has skirted the issue entirely … insisting the West has no business dictating to an ancient country with almost a quarter of the world’s population.”

LIU JINGMIN GRAB 7.04

“I think that if people use the issue of human rights to obstruct the wishes of these 1.3 billion citizens, that would not be in accordance to the principles of human rights.” 7.13

ATHLETES TRAINING

And Chinese do genuinely support their capital’s bid.

Whatever they may think of their regime, most have intense pride in their country.

ATHLETES TRAINING TAPES

Their athletes’ success in Sydney … where they won the third highest tally of gold medals … has only increased it.

When Beijing lost its bid to Sydney in 1993,many saw it as another example of the West trying to keep China down … trying to stop it taking its rightful place on the world stage.

BOY GYMNASTS

Even these ten-year-old boys … training for the Olympics … have heard that SOMEHOW China was robbed.

TAPE 6

“My dad told me that originally China was in competition for the Olympic bid, but our country wasn’t as strong as the others and then there were these other countries that told those other countries that if you voted for China, then they would, something, like go to war with them.”

BANNERS DURING THE IOC INSPECTION

This time Beijing’s taking no chances on losing.

When the IOC inspection team came in February, China used its dictatorial powers to turn off the heating in people’s apartments and to stop all building work … just to make the city seem cleaner and quieter.

 

SPRAYING GRASS

They even sprayed green paint on the brown winter grass.

The IOC was impressed.

LIU JINGMIN GRAB

2.33 (wo men) “We are full of confidence. This time when the technical committee of the IOC came through, they proclaimed that Beijing was in comparison with Paris and Toronto, by far the best technically capable. Moreover. Beijing’s support rate is over 96 per cent. Beijing is also unique in its cultural heritage (chen shi).” 2.57 (very tight out)

(OVERLAY END GRAB) CUT TO 3.11 (suo yi) “So we think that Beijing winning the bid is very likely.” 3.16

LAYING OUT DRAGON SCROLL ON WALL

Most Chinese abroad have been just as enthusiastic.

This ten-kilometre dragon scroll was sent from Chinese Americans in San Francisco to celebrate the bid.

On International Olympic Day, 1,000 people unfurled it across the Great Wall.

Officials said they were all volunteers … though from the waist down they looked remarkably like PLA soldiers.

STATUES IN WANFUJIN

In the end though it me be the lure of 1.3 billion consumers that wins China the Games.

Many of America’s largest corporations are backing Beijing’s bid.

Australian is competing in a tough, commercial race.

But Peter Phillips insists Australian support for China is not just about money.

GRAB PETER PHILLIPS

10.03 “The process of change and the process of emergence in China can only be influenced to the good and to the positive by China’s winning the Olympic Games in 2008 and frankly that belief greatly motivates me and I think motivates a lot of the people who have worked with this ACT effort.”

WEI JINSHENG 04.32

“The only benefits would be enjoyed by Chinese Government officials and their families who would receive big orders and make big money.”

OPERA

On the evening of International Olympic Day, 30,000 people gathered in the Forbidden City to hear the Three Tenors sing in support of Beijing’s bid.

The event was broadcast nationwide on State-run TV.

Outside, just out of view of the television cameras, police beat up an American photographer for taking unauthorised pictures.

But like most abuses in China, it was out of sight and therefore out of mind.

It is THESE images that will help Beijing to victory … a modern city of ancient culture with a government skilled at staging mass events that appear to unite East and West.

Barring a major upset, China is the favourite to win the IOC’s vote … and Australia will be cheering it on.

As in Berlin in 1936 and Moscow in 1980 the Olympic torch looks set to be handed to the world’s greatest dictatorship.

 

END ON APPLAUSE