20600331 - Entry #4 Behind China's Anti-Foreigner Fever

Article Title - Behind China's Anti-Foreigner Fever
Writer - Dexter Roberts

Resource - Business Week
Site -http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2008/gb20080424_222320.htm?chan=globalbiz_asia+index+page_top+stories







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My summary/opinion:

Many Chinese people were angered when they heard that Carefour supported Tibet. They started boycotting the French supermarket chain. Now the winds are blowing towards America as well. At first it began when CNN supposedly made biased reports on the recent protests in Tibet as well as those surrounding the Olympic torch relay. This added pain to injury when CNN commentator Jack Cafferty referred to the Chinese government as "basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been in the past 50 years." Although later on he did say that he meant the government, not the people, it did not help lesson the situation.

It is quite fortunate that this has not influenced how American companies perform in the Chinese market; however, many French companies are not doing so well due to the French President Nicolas Sarkozy boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The Chinese government views foreigners as a threat. They are trying to convince people that foreigners are attempting to ruin the plans of a successful Olympics in China. Thanks to the government, many Chinese people view the Olympics as a “coming-out” party.

China is trying so hard to prove that it deserves to be part of the center-stage that it forgot some common sense. China has put patriotism on the forefront and forgot how to accept criticism. Instead of listening to what foreigners have to say, China has decided to lash out on foreign corporations and put a limitation to what Chinese people can know because it's criticizing the government.

If they keep continue on to do this, it is going to influence how they do business with other major corporations whose culture and opinions will be very different from their own. People, no matter where they are from, should learn to work together despite their many differences.