While purported to be an apolitical showcase of athletics, free from the troubles of the present geopolitical climate, the Beijing Olympics appear to be off to an inauspicious start even before the opening ceremony.

Leading up to the games, several countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Belgium, and Denmark, as well as CEE nations like Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have announced a diplomatic boycott of the games. Further, New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Slovenia, and Austria have backed away from sending representation on COVID grounds.

As such, state propaganda that most definitely sought to promote the positive view of China at a pivotal point in its history will be diminished. As the games kick-off, the presentation amidst the political overhang looks as though it may be just as interesting to observe as the athletics itself. Malin Oud, head of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's Stockholm office and Team Leader of its Economic Globalization and Human Rights thematic area joins the podcast to outline all of the issues and implications.

This Month's Guest

Malin Oud, Head of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's Stockholm office and Team Leader of its Economic Globalization and Human Rights thematic area, board member at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).

Show Notes

Voice for CHOICE #14: Eyes on the Beijing Olympics with Malin Oud

China Observers