A spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Games said on Thursday that a U.S. Congress resolution on China's human rights situation was an attempt to politicize the Games.
"We have made it very clear that we oppose any attempts to politicize the Games," Sun Weide, the Games spokesman, told the reporters in the Games' Main Press Center (MPC), while asked to comment on the resolution adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
"Regarding the human rights, preparations for the Beijing Games have promoted the social and economic progress in China, especially in Beijing, and such preparations have brought about better understanding between China and the world," said Sun.
Air quality has kept improving in Beijing for nine consecutive years while traffic management also turns better, said the spokesman, adding that thousands of jobs have been created for the Chinese in the run-up to the Games.
Also on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao rejected the resolution as an abominable conduct of a handful of anti-China lawmakers.
"The resolution exposed the malicious intention of a handful of anti-China lawmakers to politicize, interrupt and sabotage the Games," he said.
"Such a deed itself is blasphemy to the Olympic spirit, and is against the common wishes of people all around the world, including people of the United States," Liu said.
China has made solemn representations to the U.S. administration and Congress, urging the U.S. side to concretely curb such deeds, Liu said.
U.S. President George W. Bush had announced that he would travel to Beijing next week to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2008)