The West must stop hectoring China over human rights, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge said in an interview.
“You don’t obtain anything in China with a loud voice,” Rogge told Saturday’s Financial Times. “That is the big mistake of people in the west wanting to add their views”.
“To keep face (in Asia) is of paramount importance. All the Chinese specialists will tell you that only one thing works — respectful, quiet but firm discussion.
“Otherwise the Chinese will close themselves. That is what is happening today. There is a lot of protest, a lot of very strong verbal power, and the Chinese, they close themselves.”