Boycott Carrefour?

The Chinese blogospehere is overflowing with calls to boycott Carrefour. The torch relay in Paris was a disgrace indeed. On the one hand, peaceful protests should be permitted, but on the other hand the torch relay should not be disrupted. I am not in favor of the torch relay, because it was invented by Hitler - so to speak - and has turned into a meaningless media circus. But both sides in the equation should be allowed to have their place under the sun. Paris leaned towards the protesters and thereby insulted the Chinese.

The Chinese people's anger has focused on Carrefour. A boycott of companies and institutions financing the Dalai Lama could, indeed, be a powerful weapon against what the Chinese government calls "Tibetan separatists". But proof of Carrefour's financing of the "Dalai clique" has not been substatiated. The biggest source of financing for the Dalai Lama remains the U.S. government and its assorted agencies such as the CIA. If venting some anger at Carrefour makes you feel better, very well then, go ahead. But perhaps it's not the most appropriate target.

Tibetans and Indians

“Are the Tibetans doomed to go the way of the Native Americans?” asks Ian Buruma in “Tibet's last stand” (The Guardian, April 14, 2008) The comparison is preposterous. The Native Americans or Indians have been ruthlessly murdered by the white American settlers, driven ever more westwards, having their lands confiscated, their women and children murdered. Nothing of the sort has or is happening in Tibet. China's central government has pumped billions of yuan in the development of Tibet. Yes, it's all hardware – buildings, roads, airports, a railroad, the restoration of temples. Usually you start with the hardware, the software will follow. But it's precisely in the “software” field that more needs to be done.

Some Han Chinese – the engineers and managers – have been sent to Tibet by the central government. Many others – the shopkeepers, gold diggers and prostitutes – just went searching for a place to earn a few bucks. They live alongside the Tibetans, but don't speak a word of Tibetan, forcing the Tibetans to communicate in Chinese. This creates friction and tensions. Free Tibetan language and culture classes could promote the integration of the two communities. The Chinese government should invest more in this field.

As even Ian Buruma has to admit, “capitalist development has been even more devastating to Tibetan tradition” than Chinese communism. Tibet is now a breading ground for small scale capitalism. An independent Tibet would no doubt invite the big international mining firms and millions of Western tourists. It would be even more devastating to Tibetan culture, which would be relegated to zoo-style performances for tourists.

On the other hand, modernization should be welcomed, not rejected to preserve a Medieval way of life. Monks are welcome to continue their study of Buddhism, but they shouldn't dominate society.