Chinese president tells foreign media: Politics and Olympics don't mix

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A week before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Chinese President Hu Jintao has said the caliber of athletic competition and enhanced friendship among nations, not political disputes, will determine whether the games are a success. In a rare interview with foreign media Friday, the typically reserved Hu repeatedly said Beijing's hosting of the Olympics was intended to underscore a rising China's desire for peaceful, friendly interaction with the rest of the world. Though Hu did not directly mention the controversies over China's human rights lapses and restrictions on media coverage that have buffeted the event, he decried injecting political issues into the games and reminded reporters to report fairly. "We believe that politicizing the Olympics does not favor resolving these issues and also violates the Olympic spirit," Hu said.