China Warns France Against Award For Dalai Lama

[Are_grits_groceries]

Source: NYT/Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China Thursday warned France not to grant exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama honorary citizenship of Paris when he visits next month, saying it would only anger the Chinese people.

Last year, China pulled out of an EU summit that France was to host after President Nicolas Sarkozy met the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing brands a separatist.

The relationship between China and France deteriorated after the disruption of the Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay last summer by pro-free Tibet activists incensed many Chinese.

"A year ago, the city of Paris made a decision to make the Dalai Lama a so-called honorary citizen, which made the Chinese people very angry," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told a regular news briefing.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/05/07/world/international-us-china-france-dalai.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1241687351-5Fdcc15LBm5VgJ4pZGi0gQ

[Vidar]

1. Got to go with France & the Dalai Lama on this one.

[rpannier]

2. The Chinese Government taking whining to an art form nt

[salguine]

3. The only proper response the French could offer to

"China Thursday warned France not to grant exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama honorary citizenship of Paris when he visits next month, saying it would only anger the Chinese people" would be "So?"

[tocqueville]

4. it's only a bargaining chip

against the purchase of French technology (trains, subways, nuclear etc..).

But it's true that the socialist mayor of Paris infuriated the Chinese by taking openly and actively sides at the dispruptions during the torch relay. Similar disruptions happened in the UK, but there the authorities remained neutral and condemned, which is the right position. If Delanoe (the mayor) didn't like the torch relay on political grounds, he could have dissed it for "security concerns", but not let it happen and then hang anti-chinese posters on the township hall and let local deputies demonstrate. Since Paris was even more symbolic than London for the Chinese, the anger became extreme. This is typical of the socialists irresponsability in France and probably aimed at putting Sarkozy in an akward situation, since complying to the Chinese demands(which he cannot legally do because the Paris township's decision isn't illegal) is out of question.

But Delanoe doesn't give a fuck if some major billion orders (specially in a situation like the current recession) don't pass. He will profile himself as a "defender of human rights" while in reality this was only a crass demagogic attempt to gather support for a future presidential run.

[Infinite Hope]

5. Really? You mean you and others aren't going to side with the Chinese?

Was there really any doubt?

[Javaman]

6. China is trying so hard to fit into their big pants. Bullying is so unattractive.

They so want to rule the world and tell us all how we should live.

All it comes off as being is arrogance. And believe me, here in the US we know arrogance.