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
First, those who use Olympics to get their ends.
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。
Second, those right-wingers who are anti-China, such as Shintaro Ishihara from Japan.
第三，一些非政府组织和右翼小报。
Third, some NGO and Right-wing tabloid. For example, RFA and the Washington Times
任何抵制北京奥运的言行都将注定没有市场，注定失败。
Any words and deeds of boycotting the Beijing Olympics will have no market and will be doomed to failure.
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。
What is this all about? It's going too far. It's none of your American business.
…尽管言论荒唐，却能反映出他们内心的秘密。
…Despite the absurd remarks, it can reflect their inner secret.
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。
It is because of China's rapid economic development. China's rise frightens them.
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。
In this case, a civil war broke out in the Darfur region, it has made the Western oil companies withdraw, while Chinese companies have seized the opportunity to enter and import the oil. This makes the Americans feel bad and they are alarmed. Some Americans are resentful, so they must find an opportunity to vent their anger.
…
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。
In recent years, China's influence in Africa has kept increasing. Previously, French-led Europe and the US are the main powers in Africa. But, now, the West consider China's presence in Africa has affected the interests of their countries. So they view China “in a new light.”
…
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。
The United States and Europe think it is a zero-sum game. They believe if one party's interests are increasing, the other party's interests are bound to decrease. They think that China's increasing influence in Africa would be damaging to their interests, so they are crowding out the Chinese presence in Africa. In fact, it is time to stop thinking in this way.
…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。
…Western countries’ interests in Africa can still maintain and grow in this continually developing space. It needs China, the US and all the countries of the world to work together to eradicate poverty in Africa and to develop Africa, so that we can have a “win-win” situation. This is the correct choice.
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。
My feeling is that some Western powers will use every opportunity to contain a rising China.
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
The author has been brainwashed by the Chinese Communists Party. Once foreign countries are making troubles to China, the author consider that they are trying to contain the rise of China. But does the author know that the Darfur crisis has made tens of thousands of refugees and tens of thousands of deaths? Looks like the author needs stay in the refugee camp for a few days.
China provide the Sudanese government weaphons for its interests of oil. This has worsened the problem. This should be condemned.
27 comments
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.