Chinese whispers | 21 February 2008

Judging by this post over at Sky’s Adam Boulton & Co. blog, the dispute between Steven Spielberg and China over Darfur has just entered the realm of the bizarre.  According to Chinese Ambassador Liu Guijin, Spielberg never accepted the role in the first place, so – apparently – “there could be no question of a resignation”.

So why, then, was the first Chinese reponse to Spielberg’s decision one of “regret”?  This latest claim is damage-limitation to the point of madness, and it reveals how worried the Chinese are about having their Olympics besmirched in any way.  The fact they need to face is that – rather than defusing the situation – continued denials will only incense the global community even more.