President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is sending three top officials to China this week after a wave of anti-French protests erupted in the country. The diplomatic charm offensive is aimed to limit the political and economic fallout from the controversy surrounding the preparation of the Olympic Games.

The International Herald Tribune reports that, “in the wake of China’s heavy-handed clampdown on Tibetan protestors, Western governments have come under increasing pressure from their citizens and the media to use the Olympic Games as a lever to extract concessions from Beijing on human rights and Tibet.”

France has become the main focus of Chinese ire, because a Chinese athlete in a wheelchair, protecting the flame, was harassed by pro-Tibet demonstrators in Paris. Afterwards, Sarkozy sent a formal apology letter to President Hu Jintao of China.

Over the weekend, thousands of Chinese protestors targeted outlets of the French supermarket chain Carrefour to demonstrate against France’s stance over Tibet.

To read the entire article from the International Herald Tribune, link here:

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