Although they did not report on the blockade of Carrefour so as to keep it from expanding, they did continue to do so in English reports as a threat to Western countries. This is just like the phone conversation between US President George W. Bush and Hu in which the official Chinese media used the “one China” principle while the English version used “one China with each side having its own interpretation.”
This two-faced reporting is the tactic of gangsters that the Chinese government uses to deceive both the Chinese people and the international community.
On April 18, China sent former ambassador to France Zhao Jinjun (趙進軍) to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Following that meeting, France said it would send a special emissary to China. The Chinese media loudly reported the news as France “taking the initiative” to resolve the crisis.
They even stated that the emissary apologized to Chinese torchbearer Jin Jing (金晶) as symbolic of France suing for peace from the “imperial court.” However, because Jin did not support the boycott of Carrefour, she was subsequently excoriated by angry youth as a traitor.
The international community should not show fear in the face of Chinese nationalistic threats, which would only further feed into their sense of superiority. This is the only way to force China to reform.
Paul Lin is a political commentator based in Taiwan.
TRANSLATED BY JAMES CHEN
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