The French media's lavish coverage of a Chinese tourist extravagantly buying wine at a Paris airport indicates that the French media once again politicize common events in bilateral ties, says an article in the People's Daily website. An excerpt follows:

Recently, a Chinese tourist buying 50,000 euros worth of wine at a Paris airport hit the headlines in many French newspapers, radios and TV channels. Paris being the capital of the world's luxury products, it is very common that a foreign tourist spends a lot of money there and all French media should be accustomed to it. Then, why was the Chinese singled out?

France's relations with China plunged to a low point last year because of the stubborn position adopted by the French government on the Dalai Lama issue. There have been rising calls within China for a boycott of French goods. Thus, a Chinese tourist's extravagant purchase of French goods was thought to be a rare chance to trumpet a normal trade relationship between the two countries.

The move is aimed at demonstrating that Chinese people only made a gesture while calling for the boycott of French goods at the time of strained Sino-French ties and it cannot be really implemented. With lavish coverage of such a common thing, the French media also attempt to tell the French people that their government's past stances on some political issues in defiance of the Chinese government and people did not compromise the country's economic interests.

(China Daily January 6, 2009)