Two truths?

Beijing. In our next issue we want to deal with the sensitive topic of the Olympic Games in China. We want to know whether the sponsors are afraid of getting their fingers burnt with their commitment – or not. Of course, we know it’ll take a lot of stamina. Schenker has just turned us down, to be more precise: SCHENKERglobalsportsevents. “Normally we are very interested in interviews but we regret not being able to help you with this request.” They look forward to our “next possible co-operation” – without an obstacle race via Tibet.

OK, so I decide to keep my eye on the ball and enter the IMEX arena. The People’s Republic of China has a large stand. I tour the exhibitors’ tables and make my – cautious - approach. After a third attempt I have the feeling that I’m the only one who has heard the current debates about the Summer Olympics. Nevertheless, Kaifa Yu invites me for a talk in the offices of the Chinese National Tourist Board. There the director reports: “IMEX was much better than in the past years. Our colleagues were very successful and are very happy.” After all, business and trade in and with China are growing.

He registered great interest in China among planners as well as many inquiries for the time after the Summer Olympics. Yu: “Nobody in Frankfurt asked about Tibet, but the Chinese colleagues were indignant about the negative press.” The headlines just before the Games were not really surprising to Yu. But there’s one thing he simply can’t understand: “Why did the western press have to hurt the feelings of 1.3 billion Chinese people?“ He says full of conviction and rather convincingly: “We know both sides and know what is fact and what is fiction.“

I don’t know. We all grow up with our own version of the truth. The only possibility to form your own opinion is to seek personal encounters, to talk and share experiences. Kaifa Yu and I have made a first step.