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Beijing intends to seize the opportunity of hosting the Olympic Games in order to show that it has restored its position as a world power. While the Olympic Games will be the occasion of major urban and technological investments, they will also pose several problems, some of which relate to the environment. Globally, the Games may shed some light on the contradictions between the international community, which is longing for China’s political opening, and the Chinese regime, which wishes to confirm its stability beyond these events.

Valérie Niquet is director of the Asia Center, Ifri.