U.S. Olympic Athlete Speaks Out in Beijing Against China's Relationship with Sudan

While President Bush has thus far remained conspicuously silent in Beijing on China’s military, economic, and political relationship with the government of Sudan, not all American’s have. Lopez Lomong, a member of the U.S. Olympic Team, today in Beijing criticized China’s support of the government of Sudan, which has committed countless atrocities in Darfur. It could not have come from a better person than Mr. Lomong, a refugee from Sudan who was recently granted U.S. citizenship and selected by members of the U.S. Olympic Team to carry the American flag at the Opening Ceremonies. As a child Mr. Lomong survived terrible atrocities in his native South Sudan and spent years in a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving to the U.S.

Mr. Lomong’s prominent place at the Opening Ceremonies is a public relations disaster for China which has worked hard to ensure that its relationship with Sudan is not in the news headlines during the Olympic Games. China’s attempts to stifle criticism of its links to the Sudanese government during the Olympic Games was most pronounced when it revoked the visa of Joey Cheek—a former Olympiad and co-founder of the advocacy group Team Darfur—which prevented him from traveling to Beijing for the Games. Mr. Cheek has played a central role in raising public awareness about China’s relationship with the government of Sudan. But China could not stop Mr. Lomong, who is also a member of Team Darfur, from speaking out in Beijing. Nor will China be able to stop other Olympiads who might decide to speak out during the Olympic Games.

We can only hope that President Bush will have the same resolve as Mr. Lomong while he is in Beijing to criticize the Chinese government for its support of the government of Sudan, and insist that China do more to help end the violence in Darfur. The first step China should take is to immediately halt its arms sales to Sudan.