Sticks and stones

Recently, the differences between Hongkongers and mainland Chinese were highlighted by an incident in a Hong Kong restaurant. That incident gave birth to an uproar that turned into a flame war between the two diverse Chinese. Insults and mudslinging were done in reciprocating fashion. The fact is, while Hongkongers consider themselves civilized by, I guess British standards, mainland Chinese are the polar opposite. While this is between them, the mainland Chinese have just proven just how rude they are.

A restaurant in Beijing recently put up a sign stating that they do not “receive” Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and dogs. The inclusion of the canine is an obvious insult to the three nationalities. The owner has equated us three with dogs. Obviously this has to do with the ongoing territorial dispute between China and the three countries mentioned. And while the Philippine government has elevated the issue to the United Nations, China has refused to follow suit. Instead, they do what they do best. Intimidate and insult.

The owner is even proud of what he has done, saying he was just being patriotic and that his customers support him. Well, that’s to be expected. Especially since the Chinese government has not called his attention nor asked him to take the sign down. Which is why I find hard to believe the DFA’s opinion that this is an isolated incident, and that it does not reflect an official stand on the matter. What if a restaurant put up a similar sign, refusing to serve Chinese, from the mainland of course as we have our own Chinese communities? What kind of a reaction would we get from Beijing? Or even Hong Kong?

But this is how China deals with its problems. Intimidation, threats, and now, insults. Diplomacy is just for show. Let’s not even talk about bringing the case before an international court, as China is not used to fair trials. They have refused to follow us in the UN, saying there is no case to begin with, since China owns everything! Add arrogance to that list of wonderful characteristics!

We have yet to see just how long the display of this sign will be allowed. In fact, we have yet to hear of an official word or stand from Beijing. But this sums up what we are to expect from China, as we progress into our case before the UN. I guess it would be logical to ask Japan and Vietnam to join us at the UN. After all, we were all collectively insulted! Sticks and stones will break our bones, but these words just might hurt us.

A bit.