The International Dateline team visits China in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

A Different Freedom

As controversy rages over the issue of freedom of speech at the Olympics, George Negus interviews a senior Ambassador from China's Ministry or Foreign Affairs who concedes that "...we do have different interpretations of freedom...."

As international controversy continues over the freedom of the media and human rights issues in China, George Negus has been able to secure a rare interview with Ambassador Liu Guijin, a senior figure in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Liu is currently the Chinese Special Representative for Darfur.

Negus takes the opportunity to question the ambassador on issues ranging from journalistic freedom, human rights and China’s relationship with the Sudanese regime, now charged with genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Keeping The West Away

Many young Chinese nationalists angrily denounce Western influence in China. Computer hackers have even attacked CNN's website, and the news organisation has quoted them as saying the government secretly pays them for it.

Should Chinese nationalists express their views through computer hacking?

In an atmosphere of international disapproval of the Chinese government's policies on human rights and communications, these youth staunchly defend their nation against Western influence. Their anger is not isolated to the United States. In April this year, young Chinese protested against Tibetan independence and called for a boycott of French retail supermarket Carrefour in a rally outside one of its branches in Changchun.

They singled out France and Carrefour after French protests marred the Olympic torch relay in Paris with bitter demonstrations against human rights abuses. They carried boards which read "Patriotism is not wrong," "Boycott is reasonable," and "Carrefour get out of China."

Dateline meets these passionate activists, to hear their side of the story.

Being rich 'isn't so bad'

Dateline asks one of the People's Republic of China's richest men how he reconciles his capitalistic success with his country's communist ideals.

The world's most populous country has been run by the Communist Party of China since 1949. In taking control of the nation, the CPC implemented economic reforms based on Communist principles, including centralized economic control.

Is it possible for the Chinese to embrace capitalism and communism at the same time?

While the CPC always enjoyed overwhelming popular support - particularly among China's majority agrarian society - it also resorted to violence and repression in order to establish its power in many cases. And, though it still defines itself as a Communist country, political scientists have been unable to define its structure since the 1980s, shortly after it reversed its closed-door policies toward the West and entered into trade with capitalist countries.

International observers have variously described the PRC as authoritarian, socialist and communist. However, it has emerged as an economic super-power in the last 20 years whose enormous success in international markets can only be described as capitalistic. This paradox has led to the rise of moguls such as Dateline's guest this week, who has attained dazzling economic success from Communist roots.

About International Dateline
SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.