Olympic Journey of Harmony Takes a Political Turn

[This article contains a detailed map. Please see hardcopy of magazine.] For a snapshot of China's global influence, just look at the planned 2008 Olympic-torch relay. The 85,000-mile route includes Chinese oil suppliers Kazakhstan and Oman and cities with large Chinese communities like San Francisco. But supporters of a free Tibet decried its inclusion, and some activists saw Vancouver's omission as retaliation for Canada's human-rights criticism of China.

TIBET China recently deported five Americans who protested its rule over Tibet. The torch is set to summit Mount Everest

TAIPEI Self-governing Taiwan backed out of the torch relay as an act of independence from the mainland

DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania supplies China with gold, and they have been close since Tanzania backed China's U.N. re-entry in '71