Jubilant Beijing celebrates

Jonathan Ansfield

Fireworks exploded in multi-coloured cascades over Beijing and car drivers honked their horns as the Chinese capital erupted in joy after winning the vote to host the 2008 Olympics on Friday.

"The world has recognised us," said university teacher Zu Danliang, 38, standing in a sea of Chinese red five star flags at the Millennium Tower, where giant television screens brought the results of the Moscow vote live to a selected crowd of several thousand.

"This will give a big boost to the economy -- and a boost to the character of our people," Zu said as blue laser beams shot up into the night sky.

Victory was sweet for a city set up for cruel disappointment eight years ago by an over-zealous state propaganda machine when Sydney pipped Beijing by just two votes in the race to host the 2000 Games.

State broadcaster China Central Television repeatedly flashed "We've Won" in huge red characters on its screens.

At a Beijing sports bar, real estate agent Shi Li, 26, calculated the effect on his job prospects of the first Olympics to be awarded to the world's most populous nation of 1.3 billion people.

"Winning the bid will be a huge career prospect for me," he enthused. "I believe I will be running my own real estate agency by 2008."

CHINA TAKES WORLD STAGE

Yet not everyone was so thrilled and Peking student Sun Rongrong expressed a widespread fear that billions of dollars in Olympic-related construction projects would fill the pockets of corrupt officials.

"I'm a bit worried because such a huge opportunity will introduce a lot of chances for corruption," said Sun, 22. "The ordinary people may not really be the ones to benefit."

In Shanghai, revellers spilled into Nanjing Road, a fashionable shopping thoroughfare, tossing paper fans and plastic water bottles into the air.

National volleyball player Chen Wena gave voice to a swelling feeling of nation pride.

"It's our turn. This is our time," she said.

"We'll let the whole world know everything about China. We are overjoyed."

The vote was a milestone in China's long efforts to take its place on the world stage as a great nation.

It will go a long way towards satisfying the yearnings of Chinese for international recognition of the country's economic might and sporting prowess.

At Caeser's Palace bar in a theme park in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen, party-goers sprayed each other with beer from open bottles.

Yelling to make himself heard above the thumping din of rock music, shipbroker Pei Du said: "This is going to bring China closer and closer to the world."

TAIWAN URGES PEACE

Official media had dropped the euphoric propaganda that convinced many Chinese they had the 2000 Games all sewn up at a time when Beijing was desperate to claw back international acceptance after the Tiananmen Square massacre.

A more sober tone in the media this time was also designed to protect Chinese leaders from the embarrassment of another failure.

In the end, the vote was likely to give a boost to President Jiang Zemin and other reformist leaders.

Its effect was magnified by China's impending admission to the World Trade Organisation, and the kudos of playing host later this year to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which brings together world leaders from the region, including U.S. President George W. Bush.

The three events add up to a huge psychological boost for China, whose economy is powering ahead despite the global slowdown.

An independent Gallup poll showed 96 percent of Beijing people backed the Games.

Many in Taiwan were praying for a Beijing victory, trusting that the threat of a Western boycott of the Olympics will diminish the menace of war across the Taiwan Strait.

After the vote, a Taiwan government spokesman called on Beijing to abandon the threat of military force.

Taiwan "hopes communist China can abandon the use of force in both the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region in the pursuit of world peace," Su Tzen-ping told a news conference.

Since their civil war split in 1949, Beijing has regarded Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be returned to the fold, by force if necessary.

China's avid stock punters have bet heavily on a win for Beijing, bidding up the shares of construction, transport and tourism companies.