[Marxism] Chinese respond to anti-China protests targeting Olympic torch

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Protests stir Chinese nationalism 
Chinese state media seeks to channel local anger into 'rational' expressions
Reuters
updated 6:39 a.m. ET, Sun., April. 20, 2008
BEIJING - Dogged by anti-Chinese protests from Paris to New Delhi, the
Olympic torch relay has triggered an outpouring of nationalism in China,
which state media has sought to channel into "rational" expressions.

Pro-China demonstrators have burnt French flags in front of French-owned
supermarkets in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao, called for boycotts of
French goods, and have rallied in Australia, appealing for volunteer guards
to protect the flame when it passes through Canberra.

In an increasingly wired society, many, especially the Internet-savvy young,
have taken to the Web to express their feelings and demand action.

One popular Chinese online chatroom, Tianya, has called for donations of
Chinese flags to support the relay on the remaining legs of its
international tour, which includes stops in South Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

"Countrymen, let our five-star red flag fly high and welcome the Olympic
torch!", one post proudly proclaimed.

"We Chinese must unite. Let us show those superficial and short-sighted
foreigners the style of our spirit!" another said.

After Saturday's protests demanding a boycott of French goods, state media
on Sunday quoted university students and professors as calling for people to
find more "rational" ways of expressing their patriotism.

The official Xinhua news agency cited Zhang Xingxing, deputy director of the
Institute of Contemporary China Studies, as saying that, with China becoming
increasingly connected with the rest of the world, it will inevitably face
conflicts.

"Whether or not it handles them well affects the country's future
development," Xinhua quoted Zhang as saying, adding that, Olympics hosts,
Chinese people should show their friendliness in order to win over
foreigners.

The People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, issued a
signed commentary titled, "How can patriotism be more powerful?", calling on
people to focus on building up the country's overall strength, which
includes dealing with problems in a calm manner.

"Let the world see that today's China is developing itself step-by-step and
that there is nothing that can stand in the way of or disturb this," it said
on Sunday.

One-sides story
Xinhua said that more protests against Tibetan independence and Western
media outlets took place on Sunday in northwestern Xi'an, Shaanxi province,
as well as in the northeastern city of Harbin and Jinan, capital of eastern
Shandong province.

China has accused exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama of
masterminding the torch protests, a charge he has denied, and Chinese have
taken to the streets to stage their own counter-demonstrations in cities on
the relay's route.

China's tightly controlled state media initially largely glossed over the
protests overseas, but later showed images of relay participants being
assailed by demonstrators.


Reports from the Tibetan government in exile and human rights groups about
the situation in Tibet, which saw violent anti-Chinese protests last month,
have also not been given a hearing in China.

Yet some Chinese say foreigners are just as guilty at only listening to one
side of the story.

"Foreigners keep saying we Chinese are brainwashed by our government, but
foreigners are also brainwashed when it comes to Tibet and the Dalai Lama,"
Zhang Sheng, 51, a retired worker from a state-owned company, said.

"It is unfair to say the Communist Party has no good traits and that the
Dalai Lama has no bad traits," Zhang said, buying water at a Beijing branch
of French supermarket Carrefour, hit by boycott calls following anti-Chinese
protests on the Paris leg of the torch relay.

"I came here because it's cheaper and convenient," Zhang said when asked why
he did not heed the boycott calls. 

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24222938/



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