A New Country Loathes the French #
You thought it was just the United States, but now some Chinese patriots are discussing a boycott of all things French.
The latest country to face Chinese wrath is France, which Chinese netizens singled out as the worst embarrassment in terms of the torch relay over the past week (frankly, things weren’t pretty in London or San Francisco either). Citing a human rights banner at Paris city hall and a protester trying to wrench the torch from a Chinese girl in a wheelchair, grassroots sentiment is again spiraling out of control, though only in cyberspace for now. Calls for boycotts of French companies — including L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy — have appeared on Web sites and chatrooms. Meanwhile, Xinhua ran a story today biting back at the French media entitled “Paris slaps its own face.”
Also about China: Channeling Sex in the City in Beijing. (via Mr. Fallows)