It was generally agreed that China's performance during the Olympics may have set the standard for Games to come once and for all in terms of grandeur.

It was probably more grudgingly but still generally agreed that China may have also set a new all-time record for success in keeping the problems of the host country under wraps, or at least at keeping them from interfering with the conduct of the Games.

And, even though saying so is in a way at variance with international standards of just governance, it is also probably the case that not letting domestic or international problems confound the Games is part of the obligation of the host country. This becomes, of course, a very problematic contention when one considers some of the countries that have hosted Olympic games -- as example, Nazi Germany -- and the problems that they tried to keep out of sight of their international visitors.

Now that the Games are over, it is worth reviewing what the Chinese are finding back somewhere in the garage now that they are rearranging the furniture with the guests gone home. Looking at this question also serves to deflate any sense of awe -- or worse, fear -- that those who watched China's formidable performance as hosts of the Games might entertain.

So what other than the smell of cordite and empty champagne bottles is China's leadership contemplating now, the morning after the Games? One clear problem is the state of mind of the country's minorities, in particular the Tibetans and the Uighurs. Both took some actions to attract attention to their discontent during the Olympics. The Tibetans took particularly the pre-Game period, when the torch was making its way from Athens to Beijing, to raise the devil.

The relationship between the Tibetans and the central government in Beijing -- and China's Han Chinese majority -- has clearly not yet reached equilibrium. The Tibetans need more political autonomy, indigenous economic development and cultural respect. The Chinese, if they want a tranquil relationship with the Tibetans, need to meet these aspirations. The Uighurs, Muslims in western China, are harder to deal with since their aspirations are fueled and fed in part by the ferment existing in the rest of the Islamic world. No one is asking Beijing to grant the Uighurs political autonomy. At the same time, trying to pigeonhole them by calling them terrorists, as the Bush administration has been pushed into doing, serves no long-term purpose since it does not solve the problem.

Other Chinese problems, which obviously have implications for the United States, include the future of Taiwan. Beijing clearly favors a slow, economic integration model. Washington continues to be unable to resist twisting the dragon's tail, announcing last week, post-Games, a decision to sell Taiwan $90 million worth of McDonnell-Douglas anti-ship missiles, ending a freeze on such armament sales.

The Olympic Games are over, but Bush administration political games transferring taxpayer money to defense contractors clearly are not.