Olympics Did Little for China's Human Rights

A year after the Beijing Olympics, China is showing greater confidence and its international standing is rising, largely as a result of the global financial crisis, which has showcased its economic success at a time when the United States is seen as being in decline.

After the International Olympics Committee voted in July 2001 to give China the right to stage the 2008 Summer Games, many people overseas hoped that its human rights situation would improve, while within the country it was commonly believed that China's prestige would grow.