China is making a very different statement to the world with this year's Games compared to the 2008 summer Olympics stadium. The clues are hidden in its choices of song and guest list.
in China's west and a brutally swift political crackdown in Hong Kong has put China increasingly at odds with Western countries and closer to Russia's authoritarian leader.
A few European and South-East Asian royals add to the tally of 25 countries, which notably also includes the Prime Minister of Australia's near neighbour, Papua New Guinea.— is keeping some representatives away, while COVID-19 is being cited by many more countries like Japan, New Zealand and France as a reason not to send envoys.Shi Mou says China has undergone a number of changes since it last held the Olympic Games.
China's economic rise since 2008 has had flow on effects for its cultural development, according to some residents.A dramatic shift in China's global strategy Wu Qiang, a former academic and outspoken public commentator in Beijing, says the political environment has tightened since 2008."And in the lead up to the Winter Games, China is in unprecedented isolation, while the nationalism inside China is becoming stronger and stronger."
Things took a surreal turn just before the Olympics when authorities in a Beijing district encouraged residents receiving international mail to seek testing, after a woman tested positive to COVID-19.
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