China Plays Its Game for Political Victory in Paris

The publicity department of the Chinese Communist Party loves to draw attention to the success of its athletes. It hails them as envoys of a confident, open nation. However, not everything went China's way in Paris. Look beyond the selfies snapped upon the winners' podium, and it was possible to detect a simmering rivalry between China and other parts of Asia.

The tension surrounding the status of Taiwan was evident. Taiwan sent 60 athletes to the Olympics under the banner of Chinese Taipei. The island's flag was banned.

A watered-down version of its national anthem was played during awards ceremonies, provoking outrage among fans. 

Two people who held banners supporting Taiwan had them ripped from their hands ー apparently with the compliance of stadium security staff.

When Taiwan's badminton team beat China in a game of men's doubles, live television coverage of the event in China was suddenly halted, according to Radio Free Asia.

Propaganda Ban

The Olympics is not supposed to be a political forum.

Its charter states that no political, religious, or racial propaganda is permitted on any Olympic site.

However, flag-waving is encouraged. China's supporters therefore staked out the best positions from which to unfurl their nation's red and yellow banners. Inevitably, this attracted the attention of TV cameras.

Another flag briefly appeared on the streets of Paris on August 7 ー the flag of Tibet. 

China regards Tibet as a special autonomous region. As such, its flag is never used officially by China. However, it is popular among "Free Tibet" campaigners abroad.

During a sports walking race, supporters of an athlete named Qieyang Shijie (aka, Choeyang Kyi) unfurled the Tibetan flag. Ms Qieyang is from the region, and has been dubbed the "Snow Princess of the Mountains."

She was competing as a member of the Chinese team. In a press interview after the race, Ms Kyi said she was disappointed that she and her teammate had finished near the back of the pack. She didn't mention politics.

Political Messages

Flag-waving and strident nationalism irritate ardent sports fans, who complain that the Olympics have become too politically charged. Let's just enjoy the experience, they say, and put the politics aside.

However, China's massive investment into the Olympics is part of a prolonged campaign to persuade the rest of the world to accept its autocratic form of government and enhance its image as a superpower.

The Games can also be used as an instrument of foreign policy. For example, the term "Chinese Taipei" leaves the impression that China has authority over Taiwan. This could subtly undermine Taiwan's autonomy.

Hong Kong is another region whose identity has been under scrutiny at the Olympics. It maintains its own Olympic committee, which dispatched 35 athletes to Paris. 

When it comes to offering financial incentives, Hong Kong is more generous than its rivals. A world champion can expect a cash prize of $768,000 USD for a gold medal. 

That will please fencer Man Wai Vivian Kong. She channeled what she called her "Hong Kong spirit" to beat her French opponent, Auriane Mallo-Breton.

Ms Kong has been hailed as the "perfect Hong Kong girl." Aside from sport, she is also noted for her strong support of the Chinese Communist Party and has written a paper, praising it for its suppression of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.

Nathan Law, an activist now in exile in the United Kingdom, took to social media to say: "I apologize for having congratulated her victory before."

Scrutiny of Swimmers

Olympic medal winners from all nations receive star status and plenty of attention. Pictures of China's champion swimmers - who pipped the USA in the last stretch of a furiously tight relay race - are among the defining images of Paris 2024.

Yet the Chinese victory was also not without controversy.

Two swimmers involved in the relay - Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun - tested positive for a forbidden substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They were nevertheless allowed to compete at Paris 2024. A Chinese investigation ruled that they consumed that had been contaminated.

Other swimmers ー including Britain's Adam Peaty ー complained. But China insists that all its Olympic swimmers have been subjected to "the most comprehensive and rigorous testing program in the history of world aquatics." 

Social Media Control

When passions surrounding the Olympic Games became too heated, China responded with another powerful force. It used the police to arrest people who stepped out of line on social media.

Reuters reports that a woman suspected of posting defamatory comments about Chinese athletes and coaches was detained in Beijing. The suspect apparently "maliciously fabricated information and blatantly defamed others," according to Chinese police.

China Daily described the incident as an example of "fan club culture" gone too far. In response, the social media forum Weibo purged 300 accounts in a clampdown.

Political Anomaly

Nine of the countries that finished in the top ten of this year's Olympic medals table are advanced democracies. That includes Japan, which came third behind the United States and China. 

Russia was banned once again from the Paris Olympics for invading Ukraine. Russia was also barred from the Tokyo Games for its program of "mass doping." 

Nevertheless, 15 Russian athletes appeared in Paris in an independent capacity. However, there is not much propaganda value for Vladimir Putin from the Olympics anymore. 

It's a different story for China. Its athletes serve a purpose. They are there not just to glorify the nation, but to extol that nation's unique form of Communism. Xi Jinping will be proud of them. 

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Author: Duncan Bartlett, Diplomatic Correspondent
Mr Bartlett is the Diplomatic Correspondent for JAPAN Forward and a Research Associate at the SOAS China Institute. Read his other articles and essays.