BEIJING, March 25 (UPI) -- The widening Tibetan protests threaten to deal a serious blow to China's image as the country gets ready for its Summer Olympics extravaganza.

The Games are scheduled to begin Aug. 8 in Beijing but it is the Tibetan protests that are occupying world attention.

In an analysis of the developments, CNN says Chinese authorities are working hard to bring the world focus back on the Olympics, which have become a matter of great national pride.

However, the report said human rights activists inside and outside China also just as busy focusing on the Tibetan problem, with some even urging a boycott of the Games.

It has now become a public relations war with China taking the offensive, the report said.

"It's cranked up its own media machine to tell their side of the story, depicting the Tibetans as perpetrators of senseless violence …," a Beijing analyst told CNN. But he said the activists also are well-organized and "you only need a few do-or-die activists to pull off an incident and make headlines."

The report said foreign journalists have been banned from Tibetan-populated regions, as China accuses them of "distorting the news."