China craves the Olympics on a level that borders on obsession.
Its aging Communist leaders view the Summer Games as the Holy Grail of world recognition. And it is because of those lofty international ambitions that China cannot risk having the flap over the spy plane escalate into a drawn-out showdown with the Bush administration, analysts say. The International Olympic Committee will vote on the 2008 Olympics in July. The WTO is currently considering China's acceptance. And President Bush is mulling an invitation for a summit in Beijing this fall.