I'm sure there will be millions of people watching and participating in the 2008 Olympics set to take place in Beijing, China. That got me thinking: everyone knows that the Chinese investment giant is just beginning to wake. Yes, things are frothy now and growth is almost never linear. There will be bumps along the way as China grows and some people will make a mint, while others lose their shirts.

I'm looking to make a mint. So, how to play China into 2008? I came up with two stocks to help vault investors into the 2008 Olympics.

Ctrip.com (NASDAQ: CTRP): China's leading online travel services provider, Ctrip is probably the most engaging pure play on the Chinese internet making a run at the traditional economy. With 57% marketshare, this company is poised to be the leader in any consolidation that occurs in the online travel space. Bear Stearns' analysts expect Ctrip to grow its revenues at an average of 40% over the next three years based upon:

• China online travel accounting for <1% of the total travel market in 2006
• The Olympics will naturally act as a showcase for inbound tourism into China
• Rising GDP and income levels should contribute to growing demand for both business and leisure travel
• The Chinese government is mandating a transition to e-ticketing

The ongoing story of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s (NYSE: WMT) top secret security/surveillance team just keeps getting more interesting. The New York Comptroller has asked the SEC [subscription required] and the United States Attorney General's Office to look into what he called Wal-Mart's "ill-considered and possibly illegal surveillance operations." He said that he was "particularly troubled by reports that Wal-Mart engaged in chilling and truly outrageous surveillance activities."

Wal-Mart's security program has come under fire after it was reported that the company was conducting investigations into shareholders planning to offer proposals at the shareholder meeting. After the Wall Street Journal broke the story, the Bentonville retailer quickly called several of the firms involved to apologize, especially for referring to them as "potential threats."

Realistically, this whole thing will probably blow over from a legal perspective. I don't think there's any real risk to shareholders in that sense -- even a fine would not have a material impact on the company's earnings. But the real issue is that this is just another example of Wal-Mart acting really creepy, and it pretty much negates whatever goodwill the company has generated through its various socially-responsible initiatives. From a PR standpoint, this is a disaster, and Wal-Mart's going to need to change the way it operates dramatically to improve its image.