http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/27/opinion/edletmon.php
Get used to protests; A friendly voice on the line
Published: April 27, 2008
Get used to protests
The Chinese don't like the demonstrations around the world protesting
their brutal repression of the Tibetan people. And not just a few
Chinese leaders are upset: More than 20 million Chinese recently
signed online petitions saying they plan to stop shopping at French
stores to protest France's failure to protect the Olympic torch in
Paris.
Tough. The Chinese need to get used to it. Protests come with the
territory of being a big, powerful country. Americans have had to take
their fair share of anti-American protests over the last 50 years. And
many Americans readily join in the vociferous criticism of their own
country, as seen recently in the widespread opposition to the Iraq
War.
I, for one, am fed up with China's sup****t for North Korea, Sudan,
Myanmar and Zimbabwe - four of the world's most repressive and violent
regimes - not to mention the jailing China's own human rights
activists, writers and journalists who speak out against injustice.
And it goes without saying that Tibet is a shameful stain on China's
proud nationalism.
It's pathetic to see the international business community tripping
over themselves to placate the Chinese over the Olympic torch protests
("Paris acts to mollify China after protests," April 22).
The Chinese hold nearly $500 billion in American treasury bills,
which, if they cashed them in, could create pandemonium in America's
financial markets. But Americans have a card in their hand: One
quarter of China's ex****ts ****p to the United States. Americans spent
$321 billion last year on Chinese im****ted goods, capping a six-year
period when Chinese ex****ts to the U.S. tripled.
I am proud of the Americans who protested the Olympic torch relay in
solidarity with the Tibetan people. They stood up for a forgotten
cause and a forgotten people. They helped us remember what American
should be all about.
Christina Files, New Delhi
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