From Mia Farrow to François Bayrou to US Congressmen, every news or report about boycotting Beijing Olympics has provoked rounds of anger from China's netizens.
In a widely cross-posted blog post Boycotting Olympic: A farce doomed to failure, Wang Chong, a political commentor, grouped the boycotting Beijing Olympics advocators into three categories.
第一，借奥运说事达到个人目的
Wang Chong believed François Bayrou had his hidden agenda when he advocated boycotting Beijing Olympics. François Bayrou wanted to take advantage from this topic to campaign for votes.
第二，来自反华的右翼分子。
第三，一些非政府组织和右翼小报。
任何抵制北京奥运的言行都将注定没有市场，注定失败。
In response to US Congress raps China over Darfur, blogger Yingzi wrote Darfur problem exposes the selfish American hegemony.
这是怎么回事？简直离谱至极啊。这关你们美国人屁事啊。
…尽管言论荒唐，却能反映出他们内心的秘密。
正是因为中国经济迅速发展，中国的崛起让他们感到害怕了。
在这次事件中，达尔富尔地区爆发了内战，迫使西方石油公司纷纷撤退，而中国公司却趁机进入获取石油资源的进口。这就让美国人感到不爽和恐惧了。一些美国人 心中不满，就要找个机会来发泄咯。
…
其实根本原因就是，美国人自己的利益受到损害，而中国却能从中得到发展，美国人眼红了，更重要是美国人害怕我们中国的强大，怕他们的老大地位不保啊。
In fact, the main reason is that American's own interests are damaged, but China is able to benefit. The Americans are jealous. More importantly, Americans are afraid of a strong China. They worry that they will lose their leading position (in the world).
ShiShao believed that the US is playing a political game.
近年，中国在非洲的影响力在不断增大。在之前，存在于非洲的势力主要是以法国为首的欧洲和美国。选现在，西方认为中国在非洲的存在已经影响到这些国家的利益在非洲的存在。他们于是对中国”另眼相待”了。
…
美国和欧洲固守着”零和”的游戏规则，认为当有一方的利益增大之时，另一方必然会减少。他们认为中国在非洲影响增大会损害到他们的利益，于是极力排挤中国在非洲的存在。其实，这中思想可以休矣。
…西方国家的利益依然可以在非洲这个正在增大发展的空间的保持并不断扩大。这需要中国、美国及世界上所有国家的努力一起来消除非洲的贫穷、落后，让非洲发展起来，让大家达到”共赢”局面，这才是正确的选择。
John Zhou had a similar opinion. He wrote
我的感觉是西方一些势力会利用一切机会，遏制正在崛起的中国。
But there is a rare voice in this post's comment. An anonym commented,
lz已经被中共洗脑了,只要外国和中国过不去,lz就认为是西方在遏制中国崛起,但是lz知道因为达富尔问题已经有几十万的难民和成千上万的死亡吗?看来lz真该到难民营去住几天.
中国因为自己的石油利益想苏丹政府提供军火,直接导致了问题的严重化,这是应该谴责的
China provide the Sudanese government weaphons for its interests of oil. This has worsened the problem. This should be condemned.
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“China provide the Sudanese government weaphons for its interests of oil.”
Well, like most American in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting or the Columbine school shooting would say: “It is not the gun manufacturers who are at fault, but the people who uses it”. So in this case, they should understand, it is not the weapons manufacturer that sells weapon to Sudan that is at fault but how the people who uses those weapons.
Two, years ago I attended a meeting of human rights groups and labor organizations in New York about how to organize campaigns around the Olympics in 2008. I remember the Chinese representatives were very clear about the danger of hurting feelings of national pride. What to do? Is any attempt to campaign for better conditions for workers that manufacture sports good etc bound to create a national lash back with tensions so high already?
This is one place they are following the issue (from a western perspective): http://www.playthegame.org/
Thanks for this post and the translations Jacky as it is very much appreciated. We who write prolifically about issues and news in and out of Africa have been keeping a very close eye on Beijing’s new love affair with African leaders and the business elite.
I have been waiting for such reactions from citizens of the PRC re: the increased international pressure to get Beijing to stop supporting the murderous regime of Omar Hassan al-Bashir in Sudan. I must admit that the words from the “anonymous” commenter was a bit of a surprise.
I featured your brief post in a detailed article I wrote and published today over at my blog and trust me it was not kind toward the Yuan-Yuan diplomacy of Beijing’s greed-driven invasion of the African continent in search of natural resources and corrupt, despotic African leaders. If you ask me, it seems that Beijing is “going for the gold” in Africa but in the end will end up with a bust.
Re BRE:
I think China’s presence in Africa is a lot more civil than that of America’s in Iraq.
Thanks for translating this, Jacky - very important to see the reactions to this idea from Chinese bloggers. I think this post is a great example of the importance of translating blog posts for a wider audience…
Most China’s people believe that the Olympics is and should be a pure sports event. I think this is one important reason why China’s people question the intentions and dislike the idea of boycotting Beijing Olympics.
Playfair Alliance accused China used child labour in manufacturing Olympics products. The reactions of China’s netizens in this case are much more balanced.
To clarify, Mia Farrow has never called for a boycott of the olympics. To learn more abour Farrow’s campaign, please visit http://www.dreamfordarfur.org.
[...] Global Voices Online ? China: Boycotting Beijing Olympics? They have ill intentions. And this is why translation is important - Chinese blog reactions to talk of boycotting the olympics because of Darfur (tags: blogs china globalvoices humanrights darfur) [...]
I’m sorry, but given the complete callousness with which so many Chinese people treat each other, I just don’t think most of them can work up much concern for some black people in Sudan. Most Chinese seem to view world affairs the same as they view their own society: everything has an ulterior motive, and just as somebody getting robbed on the street is “not my business” for most Chinese people, campaigns of mass murder and rape are, in the eyes of Chinese, not the concern of any but the parties involved.
I’m very happy to see the exception in the last comment, but unfortunatley, in my experience, when it comes to anything that puts China in any way at odds with other countries, the ratio of reasonable or balanced comments to pure garbage is even worse that the sampling here.
And Mahathir_fan, your comment is awfully glib. It’s far, far too late to play the “oh, how could I know that the weapons would end up in the hands of the janjaweed” card. China has been accused of breaking the UN arms embargo to continue to sell arms to Sudan; selling a legal gun to someone who ends up shooting someone with it is one thing, knowingly selling a gun under the table to a convicted killer is another.
I hope those organizers and promoters of boycotts will finally get to their head that majority Chinese will not support it, but I doubt they will stop. They have a “job” to do, so to speak, and their funding depends on how much noise they make.
Hi, Eliza. Thanks for the clarification. If the site has Chinese version, it will reach more Chinese. (I am not able to access the site today here in China. It prompts me “This IP address cannot be used for browsing.” It does not look like a message from the GFW.
>>somebody getting robbed on the street is “not my business”
Well, MAC, I admit that such things do happen in China and that kind of things are not uncommon in China nowadays. However, I don’t think that callousness is the nature of Chinese ppl. Helping each other is one fundamental of Chinese traditional culture. There is no lack of examples to support that.
I don’t have an answer of why Chinese netizens responses to boycotting Olympics are so one-sides. I think it is multifaceted. As I mentioned above, it could be the way of how Chinese ppl view Olympics, or they are getting different message, or lacking trust to the West, or nation-pride, etc.
Why are there hardly any discussions of the role the United States and other democracies play in fueling the violence in the Sudan, as well as other countries in Africa?
If we want to solve a problem we must address all factors that are contributing to the problem.
Here are two articles that provide information about Darfur, that the mainstream media and many of the “Save Darfur” organizations do not discuss.
One is written by F. William Engdahl at http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/Geopolitics___Eurasia/Oil_in_Africa/oil_in_africa.html
the other is by Keith Harmon Snow at http://allthingspass.com/journalism.php?jid=165
jacky: you are to some extent right to say:
“Helping each other is one fundamental of Chinese traditional culture. ”
However, as has been noted time and time again, this is usually (not always) only the case where there is a blood relationship involved. Outside of that, the attitude tends to be “not in my family? well f*ck you then”.
I can bet that for every example you give to support your above contention, I bet I can give you ten that show the opposite.
More than 50 years ago, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which many argued was the right thing to do because it helped to end World War II.
I would like to suggest then that to end the astrocities in Darfur, that we use the atomic bomb and drop it on the capital of Sudan - Khartoum, in the same spirit of the Hiroshima bombings, to put an end to the suffering and genocide.
If you think it wasn’t wrong to drop the Hiroshima bombs, then it shouldn’t be wrong to drop it on Khartoum, Sudan.
mahathir_fan,
Are you serious or are you joking?
The United States is responsible for 3-5 million deaths when it bombed Vietnam and Cambodia. It is responsible for at least a million when it invaded Iraq twice and had placed sanctions against it. Ironically, it was the United States that helped to bring Saddam Hussein into power and supported him strategically and financially when he was committing his worst atrocites. The Iraqi people are paying the price for U.S. policy.
In addition, the U.S. has engaged in regime change in other countries and supported brutal dictators around the world. The U.S. is the number one seller of weapons in Africa and the developing world. These sales weapons help to fuel conflicts, especially when the U.S. would sell weapons to both sides of a conflict.
mahathir_fan do propose that Washington, DC have an atomic bomb dropped on it?
What I find interesting is how Chinese bloggers are bringing up Iraq’s issues and sort of shoving them in everyone’s face instead of sticking to the main topic at hand which is Darfur.
This is also the same technique used here by Mahathir_fan, who shoves negative things about America in the face of American or Western commenters who criticize China’s enabling role in Darfur.
It’s an immature way to argue. China is playing an enabling role in Darfur. It should be condemned. China empowers corrupt African leaders. It should be condemned. At the same time America should be condemned for what’s happening in Iraq but frankly it’s irrelevant. American is not involved in Darfur. The topic here is about Darfur. So let’s stick to focusing on China.
As for the enablers of the rebels, they should be condemned too. Enablers on both sides are immoral.
Drima,
What’s wrong with brining up Iraq? If it is not right for the Sudanese government to drop bombs on people, kill hundreds of thousands, and displace millions, then why is it alright for the United States to do the same thing in Iraq. This is why it is ridiculous of the “Save Darfur movement to ask the United States to do something about the Sudan.
In addition, what the mainstream media leaves out is that the Untied States is providing weapons to the rebels in Darfur. Not enough to subdue the Sudanese government, just enough to create chaos and perpetuate the violence.
Some of the African Union peacekeeping soldiers are coming from countries in which there is wars still going on, So what is going on in countries surrounding Sudan can not be ignored.
The United States has done its share of supporting brutal dictators and selling weapons to fuel wars, not only in Africa, but also in the Middle East, South American , and Asia.
Here is a report about the United States “contributions” to the Congo.
http://worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/congo.htm
Being selective on whom to hold responsible for fueling the violence in Darfur will not solve the problem; it will only make matters worse.
i think if the west do not want to come to beijing for Olympics, hey ,i mean big deal, just be it. we could not be more careless!!
china needs oil to feed its factories! well, let me think, who will care about us if we run out of oil and starve to death?
we have no intention to get involved in the sudanese civil war. all that we did was support the sudan officals with weapons, wuts wrong with it? american did the exactly same thing in 1945, but for a completely different intention!! they supplied weapons for KMT to fight communist in china,in order to contain communism in east asia! they r not in a very good position to accuse china of being the murder
i think your words are absurb. i’m a chinese girl.let me answer all your questions.
at first,as a chinese,today i read a newspaper that talked about who are boycotting beijing olympics?i read the passage but i don’t know anything about Darfur at all.i asked my classmates ,they don’t know it too.through all you wrote above.i know something about it.why don’t you think why other countris left there?!china is a friendly country.no one here are thinking of what…oil or even weapon ..
secondly,i think you take china wrong.i know many people questioned china about human right.in china ,one family only have one child.it’s true.as a chinese,i think it’s a elementary and correct policy.you can imagine this,if each chinese family have child more than one.the population of china will become bigger and bigger.the western countries are complaning about china now are use sources very quickly.and pollute the environment.even some people says that millions of people become homeless because the olympics..i want to told the person that things like this has never happened in china.even in the sanxia reservoir,the chinese government settled every family down.and give them a new big house to live in.
as for some people boycotting beijing olympics…i don’t konw what to say.i only can say that you know china too few.if you come to china one day.you wil change all your bad views you have about china before.many people ’s view about china are still in the poor era of china.it you came to china yourself .you have the ability to talk about this topic.
at last.i want to tell you something why our chinese don’t take your views seriously..we believe that we will let the world satisfied with beijing in 2008.and chinese all believe that if you complain a lot.you are guilty.because the matter above didn’t influence our country make preparations for the 2008 olympics at all.
i am sure that you will also change all your opinions you have wrote here.
if you still have some questions or complain about china.i can give you my answer.this is my email address. : yiluo06@163.com
i want to make friends with you and give you a correct answer about today’s china.
Westerners should first question their own situation, with actual invasions of the middle east - and despite public opinion.
We know China is a modern country that has improved their people´s living standards and that is good. However, Boycotting 2008 Beijing Olimpics is just a fair act against Chinese Government represion.
In spite of all that has been said there are FACTS: Your Chinese Government has invaded Tibet, East Turkestan and Inner Mongolia and destroyed their culture and enslaved their people.
What you Chinese have to say about this?
JL Carrizales,
China would say, “if the United States can do it, why can’t we do it?”
America is extremely nervous about the current affairs of geo-politics around the world. They are very ambitious to go into Iran because Iran has decided to develop an oil bourse that trades in Euro and not in US dollars anymore. China lends billions of dollars to the US to fund the illegitimate war in Iraq and the directionless war in Afghanistan. Wake up people, why do you think the news media has been suddenly putting the heat on China (”lead toys”, “Tibet”, “Darfur”, “human rights”). Do NOT be fooled by the hegemony these news outlets produce. They are all controlled by Neo-Con interest groups who want to control how America thinks.
shame on you british and american: intrude in iraq!–and you are still there. so funny to see how you jugde other people. tibet is part of china since 1300ac. in 1801, british intrude in ireland and now north ireland is part of UK. should the world support them to be independent? we really should! and we should support britain seperated into england, walse, scotland and ireland. oh, wait a second, should we just go back to five thousand years ago, china wasn’t even china, it was hundreds of different small kingdoms. should we do that?!
talking about human rights…i totally agree we don’t have much human rights in china. a lot things needed to be improved. but it is mostly of our culture of the past five thousand years. it can’t just changed overnight. for example chinese is a power-centred country, father right; husband right; boss right, etc. there are part of our culture, it is not that you wanna change they will changed overnight.
and basically, we chinese don’t need you guys to tell us we need human rights. because you guys would never really wish the good things out of us. or you guys would come here and say all the bad things about us with bias.
you are really good at forcing people to do what ever you wanna do.
a very good example is george bush successfully persude you americans to go to iraq; same as you british!!! and for the rest of you who ever judge us, how come you guys didn’t come out and speak for iraq?????
you guys should really listen to our voice too!
don’t just force other country with less power to do what u wanna do with your willingness.
When will the human race learn from the past? So, two World Wars are not enough? All nations need to stop being so nationalistic that they forget the basic principle of having the respect for the rest of the world regardless of their races or nationalities. It is easy to become obsessed with one’s own nation and careless for other nations. Like any powerful country, China can be proud of themselves for doing many good things to the world. But, don’t all countries need to be able to take criticism? I am calling for both the left-winged and right-winged nationalists to please stop being so bloody crazy about their own nations. Wake up ! people ! Be less greedy, and less ethnocentric, and be more compassionate for others !
After all, we are all a human race.
Thanks to you all who want to boycott the Olympics. This drives Chinese in Mainland to rush to every ticket event sales for the Olympics. Those of us living abroad have a very hard time getting tickets.