ARTICLE: "Beyond the 'genocide Olympics': As the row over corporate sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics shows, firms are increasingly expected to take a lead in promoting human rights," The Economist, 26 April 2008, p. 81. ARTICLE: "Building on the Games: China's impressive facilities are turning heads and laying the groundwork for global construction deals," by Charlotte Li, BusinessWeek, 5 May 2008, p. 048.

The local fuss over the French retailer Carrefour because of the anti-Chinese protests in France is somewhat over-reported. Yes, Carrefour catches some heat in China, but its sales, by all accounts, don't really drop off. So I guess it's a case of having your cake and protesting about it too. Here's the part I found interesting:

Chinese firms are slowly becoming more sensitive to human rights, says Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, chairman of Anglo American, a mining giant, and a veteran advocate of businesses promoting human rights. Rather than criticism, says Sir Mark, Chinese bosses respond far better to patient explanations that older multinationals became supporters of human rights because they learnt to their cost that when those rights are ignored, bad things happen. "I tell them that there is now a whole culture of multi-stakeholder designed initiatives that are helpful, and can stop you getting in trouble in five years' time," he says. Despite the Chinese government's many failings, its promotion of the "harmonious society" is taken seriously by Chinese bosses, says Sir Mark. Invoke this term, he says, and they get the message.

Great stuff, proving that it's typically the businessperson who makes the real necessary change happen, if we can just be patient enough. Second story just points out another facet of the Olympics showcase effect for China: winning construction contracts. As I have said before, China's Olympics will be a mixed bag: huge success of Games and medal count, but also lotsa stories on human rights and horrible pollution. The Chinese will emerge with pride ballooned but also significant embarrassment over environmental damage and lack of political freedom. So long as we don't rub it in, the Chinese people themselves will get all the necessary messages for positive legacy effects to emerge down the road.