In working up our recent post on M. Douste-Blazy,* we came across this.

FRENCH TOURISM MINISTRY RELEASES NEW GUIDE

PARIS January 4, 2007 (Phayul/AP) - A new guide co-produced by the French Tourism Ministry advises businesspeople not to mention Tibet, Taiwan and the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators when negotiating with the Chinese.

... Destined for tourism professionals, the 65-page guide, "Chinese tourists: How best to welcome them?" [Principes de bienséances**] has plenty of handy tips. ... "Avoid speaking about Chinese politics, for example: The events on Tiananmen Square, strategic questions of Taiwan or of Tibet," the guide says under the subheading, "Principles of etiquette."

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of unarmed protesters were killed when the Chinese army cleared student demonstrators from the square in the heart of Beijing on June 4, 1989. China claims sovereignty over the self-ruling island of Taiwan and has been accused of destroying Tibetan culture and of widespread human rights abuses in Tibet since it invaded the Himalayan territory in 1950.

The guide was launched by French Tourism Minister Leon Bertrand last month and bears the logos of his ministry and its tourism promotion agency, Maison de la France.

... Franck Paillard, vice director of communication for Maison de la France, said 6,000 copies of the guide were printed. Its contents were put together by the agency, the tourism ministry and outside experts consulted for their knowledge of China and of Chinese tourists, he said. ... He defended the guide's advice, saying the aim was to avoid subjects that could anger the Chinese.

It is not that we do not want to discuss them, it is more that they apparently are bothered by it. If we want to do business with them and we start by saying things that they don't like ...

[Ce n’est pas que nous ne voulions pas en parler, c’est davantage qu’apparemment, cela les ennuie. Si nous voulons faire des affaires avec eux, et que nous commencions par dire des choses qu’ils n’aiment pas …**]

[Speechless.] Oh, good advice. Apparently French business folk when selling air planes or nuclear reactors to China don't know it's best to talk business not politics. Let's put the order book aside, Jintao. Now [Slight pause.] just what did happen in Tiananmen Square, hein?

And this.

France's Foreign Ministry distanced itself from the guide, saying in a statement to The Associated Press: "It is evident that this brochure does not in any way translate into a change of policy with regard to China."

Well, no one's disputing that. It is evident this brochure is a continuation of France's suck-up policy with regard to China.

The French government's Principes de bienséances for citizens doing business with Americans begins:

If your American guest is hosting dinner, provide a short list of your preferred restaurants. If you are hosting the dinner, chose a restaurant you like. Help your American guest with the left column of his menu. Never allow the sommelier to hand the wine album to an American. Intervene with the maître d' to have ketchup placed at your table. When entrées arrive, in a convival tone, demand a firm date for the withdrawal of all coalition troops from Iraq... During dessert is the proper time to present your wallet collection of Abu Ghraib photos. Courtesy favors demands for explanations before demands for apologies... If your American guest leaves a gratuity on the table, you may pocket this to spare the wait staff the mortification of American charity.

* The dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™.

** Ne parlez pas du Tibet aux touristes chinois ! 5 janvier 2007 (Tibet-info.net)

PFFT (What is this?): Just gotta know about Tibet, Falun Gong, and the Great Leap Forward ¼ | Buy French stuff 5 | Rayonnement français 0