China protests French retailer Carrefour

Some Chinese feel the protests were an attack on their country. Those nationalist feelings were amplified by the popularity of Jin Jing, a disabled fencer who became a household name after stubbornly clinging to the torch while a Tibet supporter tried to wrestle it away during the Paris relay.

Anti-French sentiment in China also has grown since French President Nicolas Sarkozy said last month he is considering not attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony because of China's crackdown on Tibet.

In Paris, thousands of pro-China demonstrators staged a protest Saturday in support of Beijing. Many of the protesters, who demonstrated at the Place de la Republique, wore T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase "Let's make the Olympics a bridge, not a wall" in French.

So far, China appears supportive of the views taken against Carrefour, but there are also signs that Beijing is attempting to calm some of the nationalistic spirit.

An editorial in Xinhua, which was featured prominently Saturday on Chinese online news portals, was titled: "The best way to love your country is to do your job well." Chinese should concentrate their energy on helping to build the Chinese economy, the editorial said.

Beijing has blamed recent violence in Tibet, which broke out March 14, on the Dalai Lama and his supporters. China said 22 people died in rioting in the Tibet capital of Lhasa.

The Dalai Lama's government-in-exile denies any involvement in the violence. It says more than 140 people were killed in the government crackdown.

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