Chinese Nationalism on the Rise - Taiwan, Tibet, Olympics, etc.

Mainland Chinese are mad and they aren't going to take it anymore. Invigorated with new-found wealth (largest foreign exchange reserves in the world since 2006, per capita income up by a CAGR of 11% over the last half a decade, largest carbon polluter in the world, world's 3rd largest economy, etc.), the Chinese are responding as best they can to what they perceive as perfidious foreigners trying to break apart their historic Union (Taiwanese and Tibetan separatists).

For example, I received a chain e-mail from Chinese friends about Tibet, the French and Carrefour (a large, French supermarket chain that has expanded aggressively into Asia and China over the last decade and a half). It calls for a boycott of Carrefour:

5月8日-24日正好是北京奥运会的前三个月.请您不要去家乐福购物.因为:

1. 家乐福的大股东捐巨资给达赖

2. 法国支持藏独者甚众

3. 法国总统声言抵制奥运会.

那么我们现在就抵制一下家乐福.为期与北京奥运会同长.前后17天,让他们看看中国民众的力量. 请转发.

It reads:

May 8th - 24th is exactly three months prior to the Beijing Olympics. Please do not go to Carrefour to shop / purchase. Because: 1. Carrefour's largest shareholder has given money to the Dali Lama. 2. France supports Tibetan Independence severally. 3. The French President declared a boycott of the Oympics. Now, therefore, let us boycott Carrefour for a bit. For a period of time as long as that of the Olympics themselves. For these 17 days, make them see the strength of the Chinese people. Please forward this.

(Point 3 refers to President Sarkozy's demand that China open talks with the Dalai Lama, etc. as a condition for Sarkozy to attend the Opening Ceremony.)

China now has the world's second largest Internet population and we will see Chinese netizens being increasingly proactive in using the Web to further their agendas.

Well, of course the Chinese Net Nannies are blocking this one...

Confirming this site is blocked from within Beijing (where I am right now).

Tibetan independence activist blogging inside Beijing

The president of Students for a Free Tibet is in Beijing right now, exactly one year ahead of the 2008 Olympics, vlogging and blogging about Tibetan sovereignty and being a general pain in the ass to the Chinese government.

Lhadon Tethong's liveblogging experiment is incredibly ballsy or incredibly foolhardy, depending on how you look at it -- hard to imagine this lasting long before authorities arrest, extradite, or take some other action to stop the activity.

Apparently, she's already attracted a group of official government "escorts".

Incidentally, Ms. Tethong's uncle is the most senior advisor to H.H. the Dalai Lama.

Link to "Beijing Wide Open" blog. Today's posts from her include an item about activists placing a giant "Free Tibet" banner on the Great Wall of China. (thanks, Oxblood and Nathan Freitas!)

posted by Xeni Jardin on August 7, 2007, 04:57 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Blocking the Dalai Lama

No surprise here. The Daili Lama's new Web site is blocked from China...

www.dalailama.com

And the old www.tibet.net is still blocked.

Monday, December 12, 2005 Dalai Lama launches personal website to spread world peace
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Dharamsala

Self-exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Sunday launched a personal website to spread his message of world peace and take questions via email. The website www.dalailama.com was inaugurated on the international Human Rights Day and the 16th anniversary of his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. "The website is not to promote the Dalai Lama himself. It is to reach out to the world with his message of love, peace and compassion and universal responsibility," a team member, who designed the website, told AFP. His messages have been posted both in English and Tibetan and questions can be emailed directly to the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan government-in-exile, based in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh state, had also launched an Arabic version of its official website www.tibet.net, the team member said. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and crossed over to neighbouring India in 1959 after the collapse of the resistance movement opposed to the 1950 Chinese invasion. China has maintained that Tibet is a province of the country and that the invasion saved people from feudal oppression. Beijing formally established a Tibetan Autonomous Region in 1965 but the Dalai Lama says there is no real autonomy and seeks greater rights for its six million people.