If China thought hosting the Olympics would win it friends abroad, it probably miscalculated. Certainly in Europe, the approach of the Beijing Games has exacerbated relations between the two trading partners, with rows about human rights and Tibet overshadowing Chinese pride in their sprouting city skylines and booming economy. It wasn't always like that. For years, the European Union enjoyed an excellent rapport with Beijing, viewing China as a fantastic commercial opportunity rather than a dangerous economic menace and avoiding the sort of confrontations that have marked Sino-U.S. relations. But as the trade imbalance ballooned in China's favor so attitudes in Europe have hardened and a wave of negative reports about executions, pollution and corruption ahead of the Games has further eroded the EU view of the eastern giant. “The Games have already backfired on China and if I were Chinese I would feel a bit short changed,” said Kerry Brown, a Chinese expert at the Chatham House think-tank in London. “I think their expectations were too high and they were over-enthusiastic with their commitments on human rights when they won the Games,” he added. The bumpy relations have posed a problem not just to China's leadership, still dreaming of an Olympic triumph, but also for Europe's politicians, forced to walk a tightrope between promoting rights and defending economic interests. Relay chaos Any hopes the Games might engender a warm glow in Europe were shattered on the streets of London and Paris in April, when the Olympic torch relay turned into a chaotic scrum pitting pro-Tibetan supporters against hapless police. The mayhem was utterly predictable after China's crackdown against Tibetan protesters the month before, which appeared to confirm warnings from rights groups that Beijing did not embody the universal values promoted by the Games. “China thought the world would accept it as it was, but this hasn't happened and the relay fiasco tarnished its image,” said Valerie Niquet, who follows China for the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) think-tank. The subsequent devastating earthquake in Sichuan province deflated the controversy, with indignation over Tibet turning to sympathy for the victims and admiration for the rescue effort. But images of flattened schools also reinforced prejudices many Europeans have about the quality of Chinese workmanship and overall views of the country are not positive. “Surveys now show that a majority of Europeans consider that China is a destabilizing force in the world or have a negative opinion of the country. This wasn't the case even a year ago,” Niquet added. The growing European animosity is tightly entwined with anxiety over the booming Chinese economy. From almost no trade 20 years ago, the EU recently overtook the United States as China's biggest export market, notching up a 160-billion euro trade deficit in 2007. EU-based firms by comparison sell more goods to Switzerland's 7.5 million inhabitants than they do to China's 1.3 billion citizens. TV images of state of the art Olympic venues and car-filled cities have given many Westerners the impression that China is a fully-fledged developed economy, poised to dominate the world. “In France people often confuse China with Japan, ignoring the fact that Japan's economy is bigger than that of China and India combined, with a fraction of its population” Niquet said. “There might be skyscrapers in Beijing, but you don't have to go too far out to find a country that more resembles Pakistan,” she added, saying that such a misconception meant Europeans risked judging China by the wrong criteria. Undiplomatic By the same token, analysts say China itself is confused about how to deal with the European Union, particularly since it expanded east to absorb several former communist states that have little sympathy for the Chinese totalitarian regime. To make matters worse for Beijing, some of its closest friends, such as former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, have left the stage making way for younger politicians who have promised to put human rights at the top of their agenda. His successor Angela Merkel last year infuriated China by receiving the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy says they might meet in August. China has warned Sarkozy of “serious consequences” if the meeting goes ahead - unsubtle diplomatic language that has done little to ease tensions at an awkward moment. “It's not up to China to fix my agenda or decide my meetings,” said Sarkozy, whose dealings with Beijing since he took office last May neatly sum up Europe's Chinese dilemma. He visited the country in November, presided over some $30 billion of business deals, criticized China's human rights and environmental records and announced he would attend the Games.Following the Tibet crisis he put the visit on hold and annoyed the Chinese by appearing to set conditions for the trip. After weeks of flip-flopping, he finally said he would go, earning him brickbats from leftist opponents and activists. “This is an act of cowardice ... a stab in the back to dissidents,” said Robert Menard, head of the Paris-based Reporters without Borders media watchdog.In the end, his presence will provide human rights groups with another opportunity to promote causes such as freedom of speech, the environment and political dissidents, pushing sporting excellence off the front pages. “The Olympic Games has presented us with a wonderful opportunity to shine the light on China and make the world realize the abuses that are going on,” said Amnesty International president in France, Genevieve Garrigos. – Reuters __
