Fresh protests broke out across China yesterday, with thousands of demonstrators targeting US broadcaster CNN and French chain store Carrefour in disputes over Tibetan unrest and the Beijing Olympics.
The latest protests came after rallies on Saturday at branches of Carrefour, which has been subject to boycotts by Chinese consumers over its alleged support of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama — a claim it denies.
Protesters also targeted the CNN TV network over its commentator Jack Cafferty, who incensed Beijing authorities last week when he called the Chinese leadership “goons and thugs” and slammed China for exporting unsafe products.
PHOTO: EPA
“This was a patriotic movement, people want CNN and Carrefour to apologize,” Wang Zheng, a protester at a Carrefour store in Xian, said by telephone.
“We oppose Tibetan and Taiwan independence and we also oppose the politicization of the Olympic Games,” Wang said.
In yesterday’s protests, demonstrators chanted slogans and held banners that read “Oppose Tibet independence,” “Oppose CNN’s anti-China statements” and “Boycott Carrefour,” he said.
According to the Xinhua news agency, more than 1,000 people assembled in front of a Carrefour in Xian, while demonstrations also occurred at stores in Harbin and Jinan.
Many Chinese protesters felt Cafferty’s remarks on CNN were directed at ordinary Chinese, something that they said was inexcusable, Wang said.
Meanwhile, Internet chatrooms have been awash with accusations that Carrefour has supported the exiled Tibetan government.
Yesterday’s protests came despite a huge police presence after weeks of state-backed anti-Western rhetoric over the torch relay demonstrations and the Western media coverage of Tibet appeared to whip up public outrage.
At one point, 53 police cars were seen on the rooftop parking lot of a Carrefour store in Qingdao, a photographer said.
After protests erupted in the cities of Beijing, Qingdao, Wuhan, Hefei, Kunming and Xian on Saturday, the state press urged calm yesterday.
Saturday’s protests led to Carrefour store closures in at least Qingdao, Wuhan and Hefei but yesterday those stores and stores in Xian, Harbin and Jinan were all operating normally, Xinhua said.
“The more the Dalai Lama clique tries to disrupt the Olympic torch relay and some Western politicians and media take advantage to launch attacks and condemn China, the more we need to unify with the people of the world to hold a successful Olympic Games,” Xinhua said.
State television yesterday also reported large-scale pro-China protests that occurred around the world a day earlier in Los Angeles, Paris, Britain and Berlin.
Chinese-Americans rallied outside CNN’s Hollywood office to demand the firing of commentator Jack Cafferty for calling China’s goods “junk” and its leaders a “bunch of goons and thugs.”
“We understand free speech,” Lake Wang, 39, told the Los Angeles Times. “But what if Cafferty said this about other racial groups? I think he would be fired. I think he’s jealous of China.”
A crowd estimated by police at 2,000 to 5,000 gathered, chanting and holding signs that read “Fire Cafferty” and “CNN: Chinese Negative News.”
The crowd was peaceful and no arrests were made, police said.
Another two dozen people holding Chinese flags also demonstrated outside CNN’s corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Also see: Nepal OKs use of deadly force on Everest
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source