Posts circulated widely on Chinese social media following last week’s ruling against China by The Hague arbitration tribunal, with one post calling on the public to boycott KFC and McDonalds on July 15 and 16, while small numbers of protesters showed up outside a KFC outlet in the northern province of Hebei on July 17, it said.
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China last week denounced a UN-backed tribunal’s finding that there was no legal basis for its claims to most of the strategic, resource-rich waters, provoking stern warnings from leaders from Japan to the European Union that it must respect the rule-based global order.
The ruling, which Beijing has rejected, has spurred nationalistic sentiments among many Chinese people, who called for a boycott of products from the Philippines and the United States, which they said had instigated Manila to lodge the arbitration case as part of efforts to contain China’s growing power.
Over recent days, protesters have gathered outside KFC restaurants in several cities, unfurling banners and calling for a boycott of the US chain.
China has been battling with Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and The Philippines over various strategic positions in the South China Sea. China’s adamant effort to claim ownership of disputed island had caused a great row in Asia with first world countries such as the USA forced to take side amid the row.
A commentary on state-run Xinhua News Agency said the public has the right to express their anger at the “unjust ruling” handed down by the arbitration court and their love for their country. The China Daily newspaper called the protests “jingoism that does a disservice to the spirit of devotion to the nation”.
China is now in dispute with the Philippines over banana production.
One particular overrun KFC restaurant had a banner rolled out across it reading, “What you eat is KFC”.
The protests had been peaceful and no arrests were made, Sohu said.
Chinese nationalists are smashing their iPhones “in protest of American companies”, according to a report from USA Today reports on Wednesday.
Mr Zhao Qifeng, the former Minister of China’s State Council Information Office said in Singapore yesterday that the drills are merely a reaction to joint military exercises in the region held between the US, Japan and other regional players. China’s navy is now taking part for the second time in the Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, the world’s largest naval drills, hosted by the US off Hawaii and including military forces from 26 nations. But it is interesting that Chinese citizens think of Apple as a symbol of America.
In its 479-page ruling, the tribunal declared the Chinese line inconsistent with global law.
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Yum Brands did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on KFC’s situation in China. Cook said Apple was “really optimistic” and planned to open five more stores in China during the current quarter for a total of 40.
