Chinese press says Olympic protests fail

Hundreds of demonstrators have turned out in San Francisco

As the Chinese-appointed governor of Tibet warns of severe punishment for anyone impeding the Olympic torch when it passes through the province on its way to Beijing, the Chinese press considers the fall-out from the anti-China protests during the torch relay in Europe.

While two mainland papers clearly see Western governments as backing China and the Beijing Games, some Hong Kong papers advise the Chinese authorities to tread carefully.

One says China should boost its "international public relations initiatives" while another goes further, urging the country to align its human rights standards with international ones.

HE ZHENHUA IN BEIJING'S RENMIN RIBAO

Over the past few days, the governments of all the countries the torch has passed through have shown their commitment to curbing the protests... This has warned the Tibet separatists again that their attempt to force the government to solve the so-called Tibet issue by using the 2008 Beijing Olympics is not only extremely foolish but counter-effective.

CHINA TIBETOLOGY RESEARCH CENTRE OFFICIAL IN CHINA DAILY

The US and other Western countries have clearly shown that they are unwilling to alienate China over human rights in general or Tibet in particular... The Dalai Lama's international successes make everyone feel good but don't change the outcome of the contest. The Olympic Games, long awaited by the Tibetan people, will definitely be held successfully in Beijing this summer.

LI XIANZHI IN HONG KONG'S MING PAO DAILY NEWS

The build-up of Chinese dissatisfaction with the world has peaked... Such nationalistic feeling against the world could become very dangerous at this time. Effectively alleviating such strong patriotic emotions is a major test for the central government.

NG CHI-SHUM IN HONG KONG'S APPLE DAILY

Since the Cold War ended, when have the Olympics caused as many protests and demonstrations as the Beijing Games have? ...The authorities concerned have... merely been shifting the blame onto others. Is it living up to its image as a rising power in the world?

ZHANG ZHIXIAN IN HONG KONG'S WEN WEI PO

In the face of this anti-China atmosphere, we should deal with it seriously by strengthening our international PR initiatives and improving the media environment. It is worth being extremely cautious, though, as neither of these two things should be manipulated by others.

HONG KONG'S MING PAO DAILY NEWS

For China, the appropriate way to avoid being demonised by anti-China forces is to... align its standards of freedom and human rights with international ones... The disruption of the torch relay as a political tool against China and the politicisation of these Olympics are of no benefit whatsoever as they could have many grave consequences in future.

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