Professor Greitens’ Comments on the Beijing Olympics

Sheena Chestnut Greitens, founding director of the Asia Policy Program and associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, was quoted in recent articles at The Atlantic and Bloomberg, discussing Xi Jinping’s strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and with the 2022 Winter Olympics. While it risks overwhelming the country’s healthcare system, the COVID-19 pandemic is opportune for China’s leadership to consolidate power, justifying draconian measures as public health guidelines. Similarly, hosting the Olympics in Beijing is opportune to present a positive and apolitical image of China despite its human rights record, as demonstrated by the Peng Shuai case, and behavior in global politics. Under Xi’s leadership, “the core task,” says Greitens, “is political security.”

Read more at the links below: 

• Peng Shuai Case Threatens China’s Goal of Protest-Free Olympics
• Can China Ever Reopen?
• Winter Olympics Opening Gives China a Chance to Spin Its Image
• Home of the huge: China has a long history of going really big