The Olympic torch's journey has set the western media ablaze, giving it the opportunity to rake China over the coals for its policies on Tibet and human rights. The most vigorous protests, in London and Paris, were played out for prime-time newscasts. The more the police, motorcycle outriders and Chinese guards closed ranks, the more protesters clashed with them for the benefit of the cameras. In San Francisco the mayor had to change the torch route at the last moment to avoid assembled protesters. China's image in the West is poor.
On May 12 a devastating earthquake hit Sichuan Province, killing more than 55,000 people and leaving 25,000 missing and 5 million homeless. Government response was swift. Vivid scenes of the devastation and suffering, with a tearful Premier Wen Jiabao hugging children and babies and assuring people in his soft manner that they would receive help in rebuilding their lives and homes, changed the world's mood toward China. President Hu Jintao and other top leaders went to the sites to bring relief and lend support. In stark contrast, Myanmar's leaders were passive and rejected foreign aid for many weeks while their people suffered. China mobilized all its resources; appealed to the world for tents; accepted help from Japan, Russia, the U.S. and others; and collected donations from its people. Hundreds of millions of Chinese across this vast land and in their embassies abroad observed three minutes of silence on May 19, the first of three days of mourning. The national solidarity, discipline, organization and capability have been impressive. The world has seen a China never seen before.
But this moment of world sympathy will pass, and concerns over China's future role will remain. The West is uncertain whether this huge nation will be good or bad for the world. This tension will only be resolved when both sides approximate each other's worldviews and accept that they will never have identical cultural values.
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