China’s Hopes for the Beijing Games

The Beijing Summer Games begin Friday and Brookings China expert Jeffrey Bader joined Diane Rehm and a panel of guests to discuss what the Chinese government hopes to gain from hosting one of sports biggest spectacles.

Diane Rehm, host: And Jeff Bader, what does the Chinese government hope to get out of these games?

Jeffrey Bader: I think the Chinese government has two audiences, one is domestic and the other is foreign. I would say that their primary audience, frankly, is domestic. I think if you had to put a ratio on it, it’s something like two-thirds to one-third or three-quarters to one-quarter, in terms of how they are thinking about it. They are trying to demonstrate to their people that they can attract the entire world to their doorstep, and gain the respect of the entire world. This proves that Beijing is a world class city, in their minds. And it demonstrates that China — It’s a chance to demonstrate to both China’s people and foreigners alike China’s achievements during the last 30 years.

Listen to the full show » (Windows Media)