Sino-French diplomatic relationships tense

In two related articles in People’s Daily, French officials have been kindly reminded by the Chinese Ambassador to France to keep safeguarding the Chinese embassy in Paris (mentioning the Vienna convention), and avoid causing troubles when the Olympic “flame of harmony” is to reach the French capital:

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu made the remarks in response to reports that France has threatened to withdraw police from the Paris embassy as a protest against comments by a Chinese diplomat, who likened China's handling of the violence in Lhasa to France's curbing of domestic unrest.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu made the remarks at a regular press conference here when asked to comment on Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's reported statement about erecting a human rights banner when the Olympic torch passes through Paris.

We are certain that the French will welcome these statements in the appropriate manner – a polite sneer.

These comments lie in the wake of French President Sarkozy’s words that he might not rule out a boycott of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Mr. Sarkozy was one of the first presidents to address the issue of the boycott in such a straightforward way, following the Lhasa riots. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama will be giving lectures on Buddhism in France during the Olympics.