Returning recently from a visit to China, a friend of mine e-mailed me: `The Chinese are deeply upset with the French, they are really furious.`
Why? Because, the Olympic flame`s journey through the streets of Paris was not as smooth as in some other capitals; the Flame had to be extinguished 3 or 4 times (by the Chinese commandos/Men in Blue).
A few days later, young Chinese demonstrated in front of Carrefour supermarkets in China, asking their countrymen to boycott French goods,if France did not apologise immediately.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who a few months ago was compared to Napoleon by one of his friends, must have remembered his illustrious predecessor`s words: `When China wakes up, the whole world will shake.`
Paris was so shaken that the President promptly sent three delegations to China. He even apologized for an incident involving a disabled Chinese athlete during the journey of the Flame through Paris. The protests `do not reflect the feelings of my countrymen toward the Chinese people` said the President.
To further appease Beijing, former French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin rushed to China to kowtow to the totalitarian regime. The former French Premier profusely apologized because the Paris Municipality has nominated the Dalai Lama an `Honorary Citizen of Paris.`
Chinese anger had once again been `rewarded.` These instant rewards explain why the Chinese are constantly upset (or pretend to be).
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Image:French police scuffle with protestors during the Olympic torch run in Paris.
Picture copyright AP. Any unauthorised reproduction strictly prohibited
