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Friday 5 December 2008
Public told to stay calm as France stands ground on Dalai Lama
With French President Nicolas Sarkozy refusing to cancel a meeting with the Dalai Lama tomorrow, the Foreign Ministry has called for calm among the Chinese public.
Public told to stay calm as France stands ground on Dalai Lama
Ng Tze-wei 5 December 2008
With French President Nicolas Sarkozy refusing to cancel a meeting with the Dalai Lama tomorrow, the Foreign Ministry has called for calm among the Chinese public.
“France’s wrongful stand has severely upset the Chinese people,” spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday. “On one hand we urge France to return to the correct stance and make a correct decision. On the other hand, we also urge the Chinese public to be calm in response to current Sino-French relations.”
Anti-French sentiment rose among netizens in April when the Olympic torch relay suffered its biggest disruption by protesters in Paris demanding independence for Tibet. French supermarket chain Carrefour was widely boycotted and other protests targeted anything French, from Louis Vuitton to a French international school in Beijing.
The anger seemed to subside after Mr. Sarkozy agreed to attend the Olympics opening ceremony. But calls to boycott French brands emerged again in Web chat rooms after Beijing’s recent decision to postpone the annual Sino-EU summit when Mr. Sarkozy refused to cancel his meeting with the Dalai Lama.
The latest anti-French internet postings were far less numerous than those in April, and some have already been removed from chat rooms, suggesting an official hand in containing negative sentiment.
China’s stance on Mr. Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama has been interpreted as an unusually strong diplomatic gesture, a result of China’s growing leverage in the world and its growing dissatisfaction with the Dalai Lama’s rapport with the international community. Some observers worry that this postponement of the summit could jeopardise long-term Sino-European economic interests, especially after China postponed finalising an Airbus deal involving 150 planes. Mr. Liu did not deny this yesterday.
“We attach great importance to our strategic partnership with France, and our business relations with France. These two points are closely related,” he said. “Only when bilateral ties develop healthily and stably will we be able to create the good atmosphere and preconditions for co-operation in areas from politics, economics and trade.”
Europe has reacted strongly towards China’s postponement, but Beijing says France should bear the responsibility of putting Sino-French and Sino-European relations back on track.
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Public told to stay calm as France stands ground on Dalai Lama
Ng Tze-wei
5 December 2008
With French President Nicolas Sarkozy refusing to cancel a meeting with the Dalai Lama tomorrow, the Foreign Ministry has called for calm among the Chinese public.
“France’s wrongful stand has severely upset the Chinese people,” spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday. “On one hand we urge France to return to the correct stance and make a correct decision. On the other hand, we also urge the Chinese public to be calm in response to current Sino-French relations.”
Anti-French sentiment rose among netizens in April when the Olympic torch relay suffered its biggest disruption by protesters in Paris demanding independence for Tibet. French supermarket chain Carrefour was widely boycotted and other protests targeted anything French, from Louis Vuitton to a French international school in Beijing.
The anger seemed to subside after Mr. Sarkozy agreed to attend the Olympics opening ceremony. But calls to boycott French brands emerged again in Web chat rooms after Beijing’s recent decision to postpone the annual Sino-EU summit when Mr. Sarkozy refused to cancel his meeting with the Dalai Lama.
The latest anti-French internet postings were far less numerous than those in April, and some have already been removed from chat rooms, suggesting an official hand in containing negative sentiment.
China’s stance on Mr. Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama has been interpreted as an unusually strong diplomatic gesture, a result of China’s growing leverage in the world and its growing dissatisfaction with the Dalai Lama’s rapport with the international community. Some observers worry that this postponement of the summit could jeopardise long-term Sino-European economic interests, especially after China postponed finalising an Airbus deal involving 150 planes. Mr. Liu did not deny this yesterday.
“We attach great importance to our strategic partnership with France, and our business relations with France. These two points are closely related,” he said. “Only when bilateral ties develop healthily and stably will we be able to create the good atmosphere and preconditions for co-operation in areas from politics, economics and trade.”
Europe has reacted strongly towards China’s postponement, but Beijing says France should bear the responsibility of putting Sino-French and Sino-European relations back on track.
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