BEIJING—Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has accused the Chinese government of using of the Olympics as an excuse to strengthen its control over the country, the Guardian reports. Ai designed the Beijing Olympic Stadium, the "Bird's Nest," with architects Herzog & de Meuron, but since the completion of the project he has distanced himself from the games and refused to attend the opening ceremony. He told the Guardian last week that China is using the "terrorist threat" to up security to the point of making the country look like a police state.

"With the use of modern technology, the control is tighter than China ever had before," he said. "This is an exercise of state power. People's rights are heavily violated. Is this an Olympics or some kind of warfare?"

According to the Chinese media, the government has deployed 100,000 policemen, installed 300,000 surveillance camera, and situated anti-aircraft missiles next to the stadium. There are three rings of checkpoints on roads leading to Beijing, and ID inspections have increased.

"I think it is a shame, it's a loss," Ai added. "The original idea was to invite the international community to China, share the same values, celebrate humanity and goodwill, to speak about peace and social harmony. But today, you see police everywhere."

Ai explained that his steel lattice design for the Olympic Stadium is a model for society with its mix of order and chaos. Its most important feature is its transparency, which is meant to create an atmosphere of openness and freedom.

In the past year, Ai has started a political blog and become an increasingly outspoken critic of the government. The blog has not been censored by the government, but he knows that its influence is fairly restricted, because the mainstream domestic media cannot report or reproduce it without fear of punishment.

Still, he sees the Olympics as helpful for the country. He thinks the games have exposed many of China's problems and hopes the government will use the opportunity to address them and make changes. "This year people both inside and outside the party have understood the problems more clearly. It is so obvious that it cannot go on any more. There is much more talk about the need to be open," he said.