What is an example of that acceleration?
A. The most famous is pingpong diplomacy and Nixon’s opening of China to the U.S. Everyone looks at that and thinks it caused the breakthrough in foreign relations between the two nations. It’s not true. There was a confluence of other strategic forces at work. But when this happened with the pingpong team and the world reacted positively, it gave great momentum to the U.S.-China breakthrough. I think that the Beijing Olympics will be a generator of more political change in China than people believe. Today, people look at what’s happening in Tibet or the way China has cracked down on human rights, and they may think the Olympics won’t change China at all. I think it will, and it already has. Q: What are some changes you’ve seen? A. When you have an event like the Olympics, it’s such a big mark in terms of national image and identity. The city of Beijing got a complete facelift. Some $17 billion have been devoted to environmental clean up. These steps become springboards after the games
