BBC News : China 'discouraging France trips'
This reaction of China is not suprising. French politicians should set their priorities straight, instead of wanting to pressure a giant like China.
Do they realise that China is a huge potential market for French luxury products ? Japan alone purchases over half of all Louis Vuitton products worldwide. In a decade, China will be France's 2nd, if not 1st luxury market. 700,000 Chinese visited France last year, and the growth in Chinese tourist seems as exponential as the Chinese economic boom.
China is mimicking the US attitude towards France after their dispute about the invasion of Iraq. Americans had boycotted French products and cancelled their vacation plans as a reaction to France's refusal to join the US-led coalition.
As much as Iraqi oil was of vital importance to the Bush administration, the Beijing Olympics are China's greatest hope to impress the world. In a country so deeply concerned about its image (meaning economic success), France's sympathy for Tibet, and worst of all President Sarkozy's suggestion to boycott the games, amounts to a declaration of war against China.
The problem is that naive French politicians don't understand much about East Asian cultures. They have no idea of just how important the Olympics are for China. In East Asia "face" is everything.
China has spent a huge amount of effort, resources and money for these Olympics. They want them to be the best the world has ever known, and it looks promising indeed. They have chosen 08/08/08 as the starting date because 8 is a propicious number in China.
Even worse than letting pro-Tibet demonstrators attack the Olympic torch, Sarkozy's threat to ban Beijing 2008 was probably was triggered Chinese authorities to take preventive actions.
Their own threat to boycott French products and travel to France is, in Chinese minds, the most natural reaction. Boycotting the Beijing Olympics means less visitors, which in turn means less income. Two of France's main industries are luxury products and tourism. Boycotting them means less money for France, which is only fair is they do boycott the Olympics.
The French government created an environment in which China is seen as the "bad guy" with Tibet. This has already caused some French people to decide to avoid visiting China or cancel their plans to go to the Beijing Olympics. If President Sarkozy carries on with his full boycott of the Olympics (meaning that French atheltes will be prohibited to participate), very few French citizens will be travelling to China in August, or even watching the events on TV. What could be fairer than for China to do the exact same thing ? They are now discouraging Chinese people to travel to France. Should a full French boycott happen, a full Chinese counter-boycott will follow.
Personally I think that the French government is to blame here. I would have done the same thing had I been Chinese. And this comes from a French speaker who otherwise usually supports Sarkozy.
Beijing's official tourism body is urging tour operators to stop selling holidays to France, the French foreign ministry has said.
The claim comes amid souring relations between the two countries after the Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay.
Thousands of pro-Tibet protesters disrupted the event last month, and managed to extinguish the flame.
...
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has suggested that he may boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics, unless China started talks with the Dalai Lama.
And Chinese nationalists have called for a boycott of French good
This reaction of China is not suprising. French politicians should set their priorities straight, instead of wanting to pressure a giant like China.
Do they realise that China is a huge potential market for French luxury products ? Japan alone purchases over half of all Louis Vuitton products worldwide. In a decade, China will be France's 2nd, if not 1st luxury market. 700,000 Chinese visited France last year, and the growth in Chinese tourist seems as exponential as the Chinese economic boom.
China is mimicking the US attitude towards France after their dispute about the invasion of Iraq. Americans had boycotted French products and cancelled their vacation plans as a reaction to France's refusal to join the US-led coalition.
As much as Iraqi oil was of vital importance to the Bush administration, the Beijing Olympics are China's greatest hope to impress the world. In a country so deeply concerned about its image (meaning economic success), France's sympathy for Tibet, and worst of all President Sarkozy's suggestion to boycott the games, amounts to a declaration of war against China.
The problem is that naive French politicians don't understand much about East Asian cultures. They have no idea of just how important the Olympics are for China. In East Asia "face" is everything.
China has spent a huge amount of effort, resources and money for these Olympics. They want them to be the best the world has ever known, and it looks promising indeed. They have chosen 08/08/08 as the starting date because 8 is a propicious number in China.
Even worse than letting pro-Tibet demonstrators attack the Olympic torch, Sarkozy's threat to ban Beijing 2008 was probably was triggered Chinese authorities to take preventive actions.
Their own threat to boycott French products and travel to France is, in Chinese minds, the most natural reaction. Boycotting the Beijing Olympics means less visitors, which in turn means less income. Two of France's main industries are luxury products and tourism. Boycotting them means less money for France, which is only fair is they do boycott the Olympics.
The French government created an environment in which China is seen as the "bad guy" with Tibet. This has already caused some French people to decide to avoid visiting China or cancel their plans to go to the Beijing Olympics. If President Sarkozy carries on with his full boycott of the Olympics (meaning that French atheltes will be prohibited to participate), very few French citizens will be travelling to China in August, or even watching the events on TV. What could be fairer than for China to do the exact same thing ? They are now discouraging Chinese people to travel to France. Should a full French boycott happen, a full Chinese counter-boycott will follow.
Personally I think that the French government is to blame here. I would have done the same thing had I been Chinese. And this comes from a French speaker who otherwise usually supports Sarkozy.