I've often said that China needs to be in therapy for its aggressive, anti-social behavior, and lo and behold, the gorgeous French Human Rights minister (images) has told China to take a chill pill:A French minister has told China that there is no need to turn her president's meeting with the Dalai Lama "into a psychodrama".I wish another good-looking, brainy, African-descended female diplomat I know of would display half the tart, tough insight that Ms. Yade shows in slapping down The Kingdom of the Lost Feelings. Hubba hubba!
Rama Yade, the junior minister for human rights, said on RTL radio on Sunday that the French government could meet "whomever it wants" and that it had no plans to change its relations with China.
Yade said China and France should be pooling their efforts to tackle the global financial crisis instead of feuding over Tibet.
"We need to co-operate, calmly," she said.
Meanwhile our feckless President here in Taiwan has indicated that the Dalai Lama can't come to Taiwan. Wondrously, President Ma made this announcement even though the Dalai Lama hasn't actually asked to come here....
Since the question was hypothetical — the Dalai Lama hasn’t applied for permission to visit — Ma could have avoided controversy by simply pointing this out. Instead, he chose to say the Tibetan spiritual leader would not be welcome. His statement was clearly aimed at currying favor with China. Even if such a visit had been in the cards, Ma could have stressed that it was purely for religious reasons, and that he would not meet the monk. Instead, Ma caved in completely.Fortunately, KMT legislative speaker and Ma rival Wang Jin-pyng, always happy to stand on Ma's shoulders when he is drowning, has suggested that local religious organizations invite the Dalai Lama to Taiwan in his capacity as a religious leader. The Chen Administration made great strides in cultivating ties with Tibet, (blogged here), and succeeding in bringing the Dalai Lama to Taiwan several years ago, to great public acclaim.
[Taiwan]
haha...i usually don't like what French government do, especially they frequently kiss Chinese ass and are not friendly to Taiwan. But this time they did the right thing and Ms. Yade hit it right on the spot.
ReplyDeleteI guess now Taiwan kiss Chinese ass harder than French eh...few months ago I can't even imagine that but now it's reality.
Nicely put Ms Yade - indeed a sovereign government should be able to decide whomever it wants to meet, regardless of the opinion of China's unelected representatives. I hope more European governments will follow the French example.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should invite Rama Yade to Taiwan. She could teach Ma Ying-jeou a thing or two about how to talk to the Chinese government.
ReplyDeleteMainlanders are the only nationality that I've consistently NOT gotten along with on a fairly high percentage of occasions that I've met them. So many of them seem to be deeply indoctrinated and thoroughly patriotically-educated, even today, resulting in, I'm sorry to say, a highly ugly and unlikable individual...
ReplyDeletewow...sometimes international relationship just looks funny:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/12/08/europe/EU-France-China.php
"President Nicolas Sarkozy has praised China as "one of the greats of the world" and insisted that he "always thought there was only one China."
Yea, I think there is only one China as well. Now if only President Sarkozy can add that there is only one Taiwan, one Earth and one President Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa, he will become the one and only politician in this world, past and present, that states the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
It almost looks like President Sarkozy is saying "Don't cry, honey. I love only you. I only have dinner with that woman to discuss business, that's all."
What is a good Chinese translation for "psychodrama"?
ReplyDeleteMore leaders should be saying such things. China only complains like this because they have a hope that others will listen.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ma, I don't know what he was thinking. There were probably 20 other options for handling this more diplomatically. And Wang is starting to amuse me. He is like the jilted Hillary to Ma... seemingly jockeying for a position behind the scenes, just hoping to give the hapless boy king a gentle push over the precipice when the time is right.