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### Viewing cable 08BEIJING1618, GOVERNMENT REINS IN ANTI-FRENCH PROTESTS ON

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
08BEIJING1618 | 2008-04-25 11:11 | 2010-12-04 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Beijing

`

    VZCZCXRO8055
    OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
    DE RUEHBJ #1618/01 1161156
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 251156Z APR 08
    FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6897
    INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001618

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2033
    TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIFR CH
    SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT REINS IN ANTI-FRENCH PROTESTS ON
    BEIJING CAMPUSES, ANGER AT WESTERN "BIAS" REMAINS

    REF: A. BEIJING 1570

    ¶B. BEIJING 1454

    Classified By: Political Internal Unit Chief
    Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    Summary
    -------

    ¶1. (C) Chinese authorities this past week have moved to
    curtail anti-French and anti-Western demonstrations in China.
    Official propaganda has tried to steer the public toward
    more "rational" displays of patriotism, with security and
    Party officials bluntly telling university students in
    Beijing to halt all protests. (Note: One contact told us
    the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) decided on April 18
    to take steps to rein in the current wave of nationalism that
    central authorities had, in part, been fanning. The next
    day, official media began running stories calling for
    "rational" patriotism.) Students appear to be taking heed,
    though some have told us they remain frustrated and angry at
    the West's "unfair" criticism of China's Tibet policies and
    the humiliation of Olympic torch runners. "Patriotism" is
    running high, our contacts say, but "destabilizing
    nationalism" remains in check. End Summary.

    Anti-French Protests
    --------------------

    ¶2. (SBU) Prior to this past week, anti-Western, especially
    anti-French, sentiment had been on the rise in many parts of
    China, as manifested by fiery on-line rhetoric among China's
    netizens and demonstrations in a number of Chinese cities.
    For example, demonstrators gathered outside locations of the
    French supermarket giant Carrefour throughout China April
    18-20. The protests started in part due to a widely held
    belief (later denied by the company) that a major Carrefour
    stockholder has provided financial aid to organizations
    advocating Tibetan independence. France's "mishandling" of
    the torch relay and French President Sarkozy's potential
    "snubbing" of the Olympic opening ceremonies also fueled the
    demonstrations. While largely peaceful, demonstrations in
    some cities took a xenophobic and violent turn. In Zhuzhou,
    Hunan Province, a mob reportedly attacked an American English
    teacher, whom they apparently mistakenly assumed was French,
    as he emerged from a Carrefour April 20. Other signs of
    rising patriotic and anti-French sentiment included a photo
    circulating on the Internet showing a taxi in Shandong
    Province with a sign in the back window that reads, "Refuse
    to carry Frenchmen and dogs." An Internet cartoon widely
    circulated among Chinese youth via e-mail depicts a character
    severely beating a would-be Carrefour shopper. On Saturday,
    April 18, there were small demonstrations in Beijing front of
    the French Embassy and a nearby French school.

    "Patriotism Should Be Rational"
    -------------------------------

    ¶3. (C) As the anti-French protests reached a peak over the
    weekend of April 19-20, China's propaganda apparatus on April
    19 began a campaign to calm public anger. According to
    XXXXXXXXXXXX this new propaganda phase grew out of a
    decision made at an April 18 Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC)
    meeting.  According to XXXXXXXXXXXX , at the meeting, China's leadership
    decided  that the goal of utilizing the Chinese public to "protest
    against and warn" Western countries had "already succeeded."
    Therefore, before nationalist sentiment spun off in unwanted
    directions domestically or led to a dramatic shift in Western
    countries' attitudes toward China, the Center should move to
    curb growing patriotic fervor. Prior to April 18, central
    authorities had been deliberately fanning the flames of
    nationalism, XXXXXXXXXXXX said, claiming that acquaintances in the
    Party Propaganda Department had been posing as bloggers or
    online commentators, purposefully posting rhetoric designed
    to fuel anti-Western feelings, assisted by the official
    media's exceptionally hard-line propaganda. Party Propaganda
    Department head Liu Yunshan was reportedly directly behind
    these policies. Now, however, the Center has decided to
    "stop playing with fire," XXXXXXXXXXXX stated.

    ¶4. (C) Following the April 19 Xinhua News Agency piece
    calling for more "rational" expressions of nationalism, other
    media pieces appeared emphasizing the same line while also
    attempting to directly dampen anti-French sentiment. In a
    story that ran in Chinese papers April 21, the Xinhua News
    Agency reported denials by Carrefour's CEO that the company
    supported Tibetan independence. The cover of the April 22
    edition of Beijing News (Xinjing Bao) carried a photo of a
    dormitory building at the Beijing Institute of Technology
    with numerous Chinese flags flying outside the windows. The

    BEIJING 00001618 002 OF 003

    caption quotes school officials as saying that displaying the
    flag is a "rational" (li xing) and "normal" expression of the
    student's patriotism. On April 23, newspapers printed
    another Xinhua story, this one quoting a Ministry of Commerce
    official praising Carrefour for providing 40,000 jobs in
    China, selling mostly Chinese products and supporting the
    Beijing Games.

    Students Told To Stop Anti-French Protests
    ------------------------------------------

    ¶5. (C) This pro-Carrefour propaganda campaign, according to
    our contacts, corresponded with more direct efforts by
    security and Communist Party officials to stop university
    students in Beijing from participating in further
    demonstrations. XXXXXXXXXXXX, told PolOff that two
    Ministry  of State Security agents approached him
    XXXXXXXXXXXX to demand  that the Institute cancel
    a public discussion on nationalism  scheduled to take plac
     the following day. According to XXXXXXXXXXXX,
    security forces had also "spoken with" at least XXXXXXXXXXXX
    activists to warn them against any further  anti-Western activities.
    At XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff XXXXXXXXXXXX that
    the university's Communist Party  committee had likewise
    issued instructions to students to  cease all demonstrations.
    XXXXXXXXXXXX, added that all class-level Party representatives
    were enlisted to ensure the message reached the entire
    student body.

    "West Blindly Sympathetic Toward Dalai Lama"
    --------------------------------------------

    ¶6. (C) While protests have subsided, students we spoke with
    still expressed frustration at the West's reaction to events
    in Tibet. XXXXXXXXXXXX. The students all said they were
    angered by  "biased" Western media reports of the March 14
    Lhasa riots,  singling CNN out for special criticism.
    XXXXXXXXXXXX told PolOff that she sensed in
    Western media  reporting a reflexive sympathy for Tibetans
    and a deliberate  downplaying of the violence ethnic Tibetan
    rioters in Lhasa  inflicted on innocent Han Chinese. France
    had become the  focus of nationalist anger, according to
    XXXXXXXXXXXX  because Paris police seemed to favour
    the pro-Tibet  protestors and allowed them to attack the torch.
    While many  Chinese are angry with the United States for
    supporting the  Dalai Lama, they said, just as many appreciate
    President  Bush's rejection of an Olympic boycott.

    ¶7. (C) While all the students acknowledged problems in Tibet,
    especially the difficulty in ensuring that more Tibetans
    benefit from China's economic growth, they accused the West
    of ignoring the "real progress" China has made. While none
    of the students has participated in the anti-French protests,
    all said the unrest in Tibet and the disruptions of the
    Olympic torch relay had made them feel more patriotic.
    XXXXXXXXXXXX added that her undergraduate classmates
    who are currently studying abroad have had the strongest
    reaction and  many have added patriotic slogans to their instant
    messaging  IDs. XXXXXXXXXXXX  and her classmates, however,
    cautioned against  exaggerating the long-term impact of the
     anti-French/ anti-West protests. While emotions are still
    running high XXXXXXXXXXXX said, "all of this will be
    forgotten  if the Games go well."

    Singapore Media "Most Reliable"
    -------------------------------

    ¶8. (C) While focusing most of their ire on Western media and
    governments, the students also had harsh reviews of the
    Chinese leadership. XXXXXXXXXXXX criticized the Chinese
    Government's rhetoric on Tibet as "overly shrill" and
    "ineffective" in swaying international opinion.
    XXXXXXXXXXXX said China's official press provided inadequate
    coverage of  the Lhasa riots and did not provide enough information
    to  counter the "biased" Western media reports. XXXXXXXXXXXX
     and other  students said that, in addition to Beijing University's
    internal Internet bulletin board, they rely most heavily on
    Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao newspaper for information on Tibet
    and the torch relay. Singapore's media "understands" China
    better than Western papers, they said, yet is not subject to
    Chinese Government censorship. The same could not be said of
    Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, they told PolOff. Though
    widely available on Beijing University's campus, Phoenix is
    "too close to the Chinese Government" to be of much use.

    "We Saved the Tibetans"

    BEIJING 00001618 003 OF 003

    -----------------------

    ¶9. (C) Two twenty-something professionals, both of whom were
    recently accepted into Duke University's MBA program, echoed
    the frustrations of the Beijing University students in a
    conversation with PolOff April 23. XXXXXXXXXXXX ,
    complained about  the "bias" of CNN. Westerners do not understand
    the "true story" about Tibet, Li asserted, adding that China "saved
    Tibetans from slavery." XXXXXXXXXXX said his
    generation is more "pro-establishment" than young people in
    most other parts of the world. Members of China's "80s
    generation," XXXXXXXXXXXX  added, have benefited greatly
    from China's  reforms and, though young, still remember the relative
    poverty of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While this does
    not mean all Chinese youth support the Communist Party,
    XXXXXXXXXXXX explained, pride in China's recent
    accomplishments does make them rally around the flag when
    they see China criticized  abroad. XXXXXXXXXXXX, however,
    said China's Government has moved  quickly to limit the anti-French
    protests because it wants to  avoid a repeat of 2005, when
    anti-Japanese protests "got out  of control."

    ¶10. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX  said young Chinese tend to be
    suspicious, even dismissive, of  government propaganda except
    when it comes to issues of  national unity. A lifetime of political
    indoctrination has conditioned Chinese of all ages to react
    emotionally to  perceived separatists threats, which makes China
    appear  irrational and thin-skinned to the outside world.
    XXXXXXXXXXXX, however, noted positive differences between
    recent  anti-French demonstrations and the 2005 anti-Japanese
    protests. First, he said, the number of actual demonstrators
    outside Carrefour branches was very small. In most cases,
    spectators greatly outnumbered the protestors. Second, in
    contrast to previous nationalist incidents, there was a much
    wider debate on the Internet about the appropriateness of
    anti-Western protests. XXXXXXXXXXXX said he was struck
    by the large  number of Chinese netizens who voiced opposition
    to the  Carrefour boycott. He said this is a "positive sign" that
    may indicate Chinese attitudes towards the outside world are
    growing more mature.

    Comment
    -------

    ¶11. (C) Patriotic sentiment, especially among students,
    appears sincere and on the rise, even though the Government
    has clearly played a role in fanning such feelings. Chinese
    Government efforts over the past week to put a lid on overt
    nationalist demonstrations has so far been effective. The
    message now emphasized by China's propaganda organs is that
    holding a successful Olympics, not rash protests, is the best
    answer to Western criticism. Our contacts quoted above, all
    of whom are well-educated and internationally oriented, agree
    with this sentiment. Nevertheless, they do appear to have
    been genuinely stung by what they see as a sudden and
    "unfair" rejection of China by many Western countries.
    PICCUTA

`