This is what winning the Beijing Olympics looks like

Taking Control of the Narrative: A Win-Win Situation for China in the Beijing Olympics

The behavior of China – the threat of punishing athletes who speak out and the unwillingness to engage in topics like forced labor and human rights abuse – has raised questions about the future of the Olympic Games themselves. But China can turn these challenges into advantages by making bold moves towards gaining international respect and strengthening the Olympic spirit.

One way for China to seize the narrative is by releasing some of Hong Kong's most prominent political prisoners at the beginning of the Olympics. This would effectively lessen criticism of human rights violations in China, as releasing political prisoners poses little risk and would be an easy win for the government.

Candidates for release include elderly figures like lawyer Robert Ho, media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and former legislator Claudia Moo, who have been advocating for democratic reforms for decades. Their release, along with young activists and journalists like Joshua Wong and Gwyneth Ho, and the permission to leave Hong Kong if desired, would be widely welcomed by Western countries and human rights organizations worldwide.

A precedent for such a move can be seen in South Korea's authoritarian ruler Chun Doo-hwan, who conceded to pressure from the democracy movement before the 1988 Seoul Olympics and allowed the country's first contested presidential elections in over two decades. This step was a turning point that transformed South Korea into a robust democracy with formidable soft power.

China has previously released political dissidents before visits from important foreign leaders, though mainly before the rise of Xi Jinping. For example, Beijing released Tiananmen Square activist Wang Dan before a summit between then-US President Bill Clinton and former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin in 1998.

Currently, dozens of people are being held in prison without charge in Hong Kong, awaiting trial based on a nebulous national security law passed by China 18 months ago. The indefinite detentions and harsh enforcement of the new security law violate the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, which China established when it took control of the former British colony in 1997. This principle includes the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, the right to a fair trial, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful assembly.

Still, it would be challenging, but justified, for China to respond to international pressure over the forced imprisonment of Muslim minorities in the western region of Xinjiang, where the US and other governments accuse Beijing of racially inhumane treatment of the Uighurs.

China's campaign to suppress Tibetan culture and undermine the Dalai Lama's legitimacy also remains a concern. Beijing regularly denies human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet, but any bold moves would still leave many unanswered questions.

However, China's General Secretary Xi Jinping, one of the most powerful Chinese leaders since Mao Zedong, has shown a more ambiguous side thus far.

Beijing uses its economic might repressively to silence dissenting voices both domestically and worldwide. China has imposed sanctions on Australian products since the Australian government called for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19, a move that China supports itself. After Lithuania recently allowed Taiwan to open a representative office, Beijing suspended all trade and threatened to cut off Chinese automakers' supply chains to the country.

Releasing some political prisoners in Hong Kong would be an easy win for China. Besides the already-mentioned nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, pro-democracy advocates like Tai Yaoting have been incarcerated for years. While they may not signify a newfound commitment to human rights by the Chinese leadership, it would demonstrate the magnanimity and leadership of a powerful nation. Xi Jinping has the opportunity to show a more flexible approach than Mao Zedong.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been affected "heavily" by their handling of accusations of sexual misconduct against a top Chinese Communist Party official who just so happens to be in charge of Beijing's bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The IOC's credibility was already tarnished, and the risk of focusing on human rights abuses during the 2022 Winter Olympics is high. Many supporters argue that the alleged abuses in Xinjiang, the ongoing persecution in Hong Kong, and countless other instances of political repression are evidence of a genocide equal to the Holocaust.

The release of political prisoners in Hong Kong could help deflect attention away from these issues and make the Winter Olympics a more positive experience. Without bold steps, reporting on the Winter Olympics is likely to focus solely on human rights abuses, from allegations of genocide in Xinjiang to the continued suppression in Hong Kong and numerous other examples that push China to the bottom of global freedom rankings.

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Follow us on Twitter and Facebook The 1936 Berlin Olympics will forever be remembered as the Nazi Olympics. Will the 2022 Beijing Olympics be remembered as the Olympics of Genocide or something else? The decision lies with Xi Jinping.