Xinhua Insight: Chinese Diaoyu Islands anger turns to actions
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E-mail Xinhua, September 14, 2012
by Xinhua writers Pan Xu, Zhou Rui and Chen Aiping
SHANGHAI, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese citizens' anger toward Japan is turning to actions shortly after the neighbor's move to "purchase" and "nationalize" the Diaoyu Islands.
There have been many Internet appeals to boycott Japanese-made products. A Honda car owner even burned his car on a street in Shanghai on Thursday morning to protest against the move by the Japanese government.
Due to this kind of sentiment, sales of Japanese-brand cars in China have slowed recently. Experts warn that similar sales declines could be reported for other goods, like cell phones, PCs and home appliances.
China's vice commerce minister, Jiang Zengwei, said Thursday that Chinese consumers are making rational choices to express their stances and thoughts. "This is their right and we should show our understanding," he said.
"The Japanese side's so-called 'purchase' of the Diaoyu Islands will inevitably have a negative impact on Sino-Japan economic and trade ties," he added.
Liu Yiwen, an office lady working at a hotel in Shanghai, received a text message on Thursday morning reading "don't buy Japanese goods, don't watch Japanese movie and don't travel to Japan."
"I thereafter canceled my plan to watch the movie Sadako 3D with my friends this weekend," Liu said.
Travel agencies in many Chinese cities have canceled tours to Japan. A manager with a Sino-Japanese jointly funded travel agency in Shanghai confirmed that all tour groups to Japan from Shanghai, Jiangsu and Anhui have been canceled.
"Customers kept calling to call off their trips," said Mou Lina, a manager with Spring Tour, a Shanghai-base travel agency. "We can barely organize even one tour group to Japan as there aren't enough travelers interested."
China Comfort Travel Sichuan Branch announced on its official Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese Twitter-like microblogging service, that all the tours to Japan are canceled and customers will be refunded.
Yan Mengyao, a traveler from Shanghai, is now hesitating whether or not to cancel her trip to Japan, saying, "Safety is my biggest concern."
"It's the least I can do to tell the Japanese government: I'm enraged by your decision," said a Sina Weibo user under the name of "Zhou Si" in Beijing, who vows not to travel to Japan within at least a year.
The All-China Youth Federation and the All-China Students Federation issued statements on Wednesday, expressing strong indignation toward and opposition against Japan's so-called "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands.
Rallies and protests also broke out in several Chinese cities and provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong and Guangdong since Tuesday.
"I will continue to take actions until Japan steps backward," a protestor said at the gate of Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai on Wednesday.
Moves from the Chinese central government have won applause. China has released its territorial sea base points and started providing weather forecasts for the Diaoyu Islands.
Some local governments have also taken action in protest. The Shanghai tourism bureau announced on Tuesday that two Japanese floats will not join in the 2012 Shanghai Tourism Festival parade as scheduled.
"Due to the recent political air between China and Japan, Japan's floats for Saturday's Shanghai Tourism Festival parade have been canceled," said Dao Shuming, director of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Bureau.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai municipal bureau of sports announced that the Toray Cup Shanghai International Marathon, an event named after Tokyo-based Toray Industries Inc., could not go ahead because it is not suitable to launch a marathon sponsored by and named after a Japanese company at such a time. Enditem
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