Chinese Backlash Grows Against Tibetan Movement

Ethnic Chinese all over the world staged massive protests over the weekend, denouncing Tibet’s independence movement and disruption of the Olympic torch relay.

Global worry is growing over the anger of Chinese, who have gone as far as to boycott products of companies based in countries where the torch relay has been disrupted.

The Hong Kong daily Wen Wei Po yesterday said more than 10,000 ethnic Chinese residents in France gathered at Republic Square Saturday to express support for the Beijing Summer Olympics and to denounce the Tibetan independence movement.” AFP said French police originally estimated that around 4,000 turned up for the protest.

On the same day, 3,000 ethnic Chinese students and residents in the United Kingdom gathered outside the BBC’s offices in London, saying the network’s coverage of China was unfair.

The daily also said waves of Chinese protest swept across many parts of Europe, including Germany and Austria.

In China, crowds took to the streets in the cities of Wuhan, Kunming, Hebei and Qingdao to criticize Tibetan protests and the French stance on the Beijing Olympics.

While staging a boycott against French retailer Carrefour, hundreds of Chinese protestors holding signs denouncing the retail chain jeered at customers entering one of Carrefour’s stores in Wuhan.

The anti-Carrefour movement is spreading across China. Carrefour CEO Jose Luis Duran told the French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, “Carrefour does not involve itself in the political and religious issues of the countries where our stores are located. In other words, we will make no comment on the Tibetan protest.”

“China holds much strategic significance to Carrefour and we opened 20 new stores in China alone last year.”

In another interview with the French daily Le Figaro Thursday, Duran also said, “The success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is critical not only to China but also to the world. There should be no attempt to hold it back.”

With the situation about to spiral out of control, Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily began delivering messages to calm the nation down.

In an editorial titled “How We Can Make Our Patriotism Stronger,” the People’s Daily said, “Anyone can express their love for their country when the national interest is infringed upon. However, it should be done in a hardheaded manner.”

Xinhua said, “We can be taken advantage of by our enemy if our fury becomes uncontrollable.”

bonhong@donga.com