Creator

Charles Xu

Charles Xu is a member of the Qiao Collective and of the No Cold War collective.

General View inside the stadium ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing National Stadium on February 04, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

1895 2008

9 FEB 2022

China’s Olympic battle for legitimacy: The prehistory of the 2022 Beijing Games

Only through the lens of history can we understand why China fought so hard for a place in the Olympics on its own terms — to heal the scars of Western colonialism and civil war

Charles Xu

9 min read

“In the US, China has become a bipartisan punching bag, with politicians on both sides of the aisle making evidence-free claims that would make McCarthy blush. This feeds oversimple narratives that juxtapose a freedom-loving USA against a diabolical Chinese state. In turn, this sanctimonious outlook stokes the U.S. war machine. “(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

BEIJING

7 FEB 2022

Hypocrisy of the ‘diplomatic boycott’ of the 2022 Beijing Olympics

Which human rights matter enough to put politics above sports? For decades, the United States and its European allies have decided the answer at their convenience.

Charles Xu

8 min read