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The Olympic torch is soon to head to Australia's capital Canberra, but the Australian leg of the tour is now in jeopardy.
Dawn Fraser, one of Australia's greatest Olympic champions, has vowed she will not visit Beijing for the current games.
Fraser says she feels very strongly about the situation in Tibet and her support for the Tibetan cause.
"I do believe China is not doing the right thing and as far as their human rights are concerned," says Fraser.
She is among Australian athletes saying the torch relay is creating negative publicity, rather than building excitement before the Olympics.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has already promised the familiar blue-shirted Chinese security detail will not be welcome if 80 runners carry the flame though Canberra streets.
Rudd, who is on a 17 day world tour, crossed Helen Clark's path in London and was in Beijing where he gave a speech to students at China's Peking University in the Mandarin language.
The Australian PM criticised China's handling of the Tibet crisis, something the Chinese were in no mood to hear, that too from a Western leader in their capital to their own people in their own native tongue.
"The current situation in Tibet is of concern to Australians. We recognise the need for all parties to avoid violence and find a solution through dialogue," Rudd said to the students.
While student were not convinced, with some saying they did not completely agree with his views, the address at Peking University was considered a diplomatic one-two punch.
Rudd threw the first, side by side with George Bush in Washington at the start of his tour, when he said there was clear evidence of human rights abuses in Tibet.
But Qiangba Puncog, the chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional government says Australia and other countries should first have a better appreciation and understanding of facts in Tibet.
"The fact that is people in Tibet are now enjoying democracy and have wonderful human rights protection&those remarks are totally unfounded," says Puncog.
This statement was made despite the fact that global protests to the Tibet crises are growing day by the day.
Rudd has also ruled out meeting the Olympic flame if it does make it to Australian soil and is also unlikely to attend the games either.
While not supporting a boycott of the games, he says he will have to check his schedule.
New Zealand may have signed a free trade agreement with China, but it does not have the upper hand when dealing with the Chinese compared to the Australians.
China is desperate for mineral for its industries and is eyeing Australia, which has large quantities of deposits.
While there is no talk yet of a free trade deal between the two
countries, at the moment Australia and its Mandarin speaking Prime
Minister have more of a chance of influencing Chinese opinion on
world matters than any other nation.
