NationStates Jolt Archive

Police in southern China have discovered a factory manufacturing Free Tibet flags, media reports say.

The factory in Guangdong had been completing overseas orders for the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning.

But then some of them saw TV images of protesters holding the emblem and they alerted the authorities, according to Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper.

Tibet independence

The factory owner reportedly told police the emblems had been ordered from outside China, and he did not know that they stood for an independent Tibet.

Workers who had grown suspicious checked the meaning of the flag by going online.

Thousands of flags had already been packed for shipping.

Police believe that some may already have been sent overseas, and could appear in Hong Kong during the Olympic torch relay there this week.

The authorities have now stepped up the inspection of cars heading to the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and onwards to Hong Kong.

The Olympic torch is due to tour Hong Kong on Friday. It will then travel to a series of cities in mainland China before reaching Beijing for the start of the Olympic Games in August.

Its progress around the world has been marked by pro-Tibet demonstrations in several cities - including Paris, London and San Francisco.

Rallies began in the main Tibetan city of Lhasa on 10 March, led by Buddhist monks.

Over the following week protests spread and became violent - particularly in Lhasa, where ethnic Chinese were targeted and shops were burnt down.

Beijing cracked down on the protesters with force, sending in hundreds of troops to regain control of the restive areas.

But it has since agreed to resume talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama.

Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm)

Mmm that's good Irony! :D

I was just reading this, it's hilarious. Capitalism respects no ideology (not even communist ones.)

I don't see the irony.

This isn't irony.

I don't see the irony.

This isn't irony.

Free Tibet sign made in China, a country that has Tibet under it's control and territory? Really?

Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm)

Mmm that's good Irony! :D

that's what happens when countries try so hard to be outsourcing resource for the world.

making a flag that protests what their own government is doing...

I should buy one of those flags to see if there's a "made in China" label on it.

I see some slight irony, but not much. It would be funnier if they said stop child labor, and were made by children.

It's slightly ironic. China was unwittingly producing Free Tibet flags. Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!:headbang:

That is ironic, or not. I also heard that there is now a McDonald's in Tianamen Square.

Free Tibet

Made in China

That is ironic, or not. I also heard that there is now a McDonald's in Tianamen Square.
Not irony, seeing as McDonalds doesn't support pro-democracy student activism as far as I know.

Not irony, seeing as McDonalds doesn't support pro-democracy student activism as far as I know.

Yeah but there is a big picture of Mao in Tianamen Square, and all sorts of other communist stuff. And McDonald's is like the paradigm of capitalism. Doesn't it kind of clash a little?

Yeah but there is a big picture of Mao in Tianamen Square, and all sorts of other communist stuff. And McDonald's is like the paradigm of capitalism. Doesn't it kind of clash a little?

I'd be funnier if it was in the entrance to Linien's tomb. If only to show the failure of his beliefs.

Free Tibet sign made in China, a country that has Tibet under it's control and territory? Really?

Yeah. You need more than that. I didn't find IRA arms being smuggled through Britain particularly ironic.

Yeah but there is a big picture of Mao in Tianamen Square, and all sorts of other communist stuff. And McDonald's is like the paradigm of capitalism. Doesn't it kind of clash a little?
China's not all that communist any more.

China's not all that communist any more.

Agreed. China has had to diversify in the last few years in order to compete on the market with other nations. It is estimated that by 2012 almost all products and items will be made in China.

Agreed. China has had to diversify in the last few years in order to compete on the market with other nations. It is estimated that by 2012 almost all products and items will be made in China.
India sez no :p

India sez no :p

How come?

How come?
Because India and China don't get along with each other very well, and the Indians are just beginning to produce good quality consumer goods for their home markets.

Because India and China don't get along with each other very well, and the Indians are just beginning to produce good quality consumer goods for their home markets.

I see. My info. on the Chinese market comes from BCN China. I guess both India and China will compete.:p

How come?

They love making stuff for us. :)

Click Stand;13651927']They love making stuff for us. :)

Indeed they do. And by us buying these items, we´re enriching the Chinese´s pockets.

Would have been even better if they had shipped all those flags out. :D

Yeah. You need more than that. I didn't find IRA arms being smuggled through Britain particularly ironic.
How about the fact the flag is banned in China.

And how exactly do you equate smuggling weapons to making flags?


It's rather telling that no-one at the factory knew what the flags were. Yet if you ever go onto a Chinese forum invariably one (there's maybe 5 in total*) reasons excusing their invasion of Tibet is that it's helped the Tibetans immensely.
This just reinforces that the average Chinese knows absolutely nothing about Tibet other than the propaganda the PRC drum into them.



*Honestly, try to talking to them about Tibet and you will get the same statements being given over and over again, with no critical thought or support behind them.
Their arguments are as follows:
"Tibetans are better off!"
"Tibet's always been part of China!"
"Chinese people resent being told how to handle their internal affairs. It's not constructive!"
"It's better to be polite and wait. That's the way things are done in China. If you do that, the Chinese govt will eventually listen!"
"It's all lies spread by the Dalai Lama clique!"

If you try to get them to analyse and further support their statement, you'll just get one of the other statements given as reason for their first. Then they'll just accuse you of not understanding China, Chinese culture and Chinese history and with that dismiss and ignore you.

How come?
Because the average wage in China is increasing. And quite rapidly.
The only reason all those overseas-owned factories are there is for the cheap labour. Once the threshold of comparitive economics is reached, we're very likely to see a whole bunch of them close down and reopen in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India etc etc.

The PRC is getting worried about this eventuality.

Because India and China don't get along with each other very well, and the Indians are just beginning to produce good quality consumer goods for their home markets.

India, good quality goods, that will be the day. China isn't that much better not to mention some of their standards are poor. I must admit that some basic goods from China are decent for use but I would never buy a car or motorbike from China or India for that matter.

Not quite as good as this (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/images/2008/04/20/wouldwehave.jpg), but delicious irony nonetheless.

The irony isn't so much in capitalism/communism, so much as it is in the fact that China's nationalism is offended by its own products (think America Sucks stickers made in Texas), and the fact that most people who are complaining about this wouldn't want to be using items Made in China.

Not very ironic, just a bit screwy maybe.

I think this represents the hypocrisy of the whole 'FREE TIBET!!11' position, flying a Tibetan flag with a 'made in China' tag on the back. Apparently the 'freedom of the Tibetans' isn't worth enough as much as nice cheap Chinese products for our nice pampered Western 'freedom fighters'....

I was just reading this, it's hilarious. Capitalism respects no ideology (not even communist ones.)
I'm pretty sure they stopped making the flags once they found out what they stood for.

I'm pretty sure they stopped making the flags once they found out what they stood for.
Probably more from the illegality of possessing a Tibetan flag in China than any moral conscience decision.

Probably more from the illegality of possessing a Tibetan flag in China than any moral conscience decision.A lot of Chinese like the idea of owning Tibet.

Because the average wage in China is increasing. And quite rapidly.
The only reason all those overseas-owned factories are there is for the cheap labour. Once the threshold of comparitive economics is reached, we're very likely to see a whole bunch of them close down and reopen in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India etc etc.

The PRC is getting worried about this eventuality.

I can imagine why. Wouldn't this create a disestability on world economics?

Not quite as good as this (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/images/2008/04/20/wouldwehave.jpg), but delicious irony nonetheless.
<snip>


Gotta love the ignorance of many knee-jerk protesters. Might be a rental though.

Because the average wage in China is increasing. And quite rapidly.
The only reason all those overseas-owned factories are there is for the cheap labour. Once the threshold of comparitive economics is reached, we're very likely to see a whole bunch of them close down and reopen in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India etc etc.

The PRC is getting worried about this eventuality.

I look to see a good old fashioned Black Tuesday type event.

Well if the flags had been made in Tibet the factory could still have written "Made in China", for the sake of Tibet's "official" status.

Irony isn't what it used to be, back in the ol' days...

Now THAT was irony!

I see. My info. on the Chinese market comes from BCN China. I guess both India and China will compete.:p

no they won't. China will own manufacturing, and Inda will own the Tech Support businesses.

Free Tibet

Made in China

ROFL. Thanks for the topic, this is beautiful irony.

My Joke on the topic:
"Welcome to Wal-Mart. We have Free Tibet flags here. Please spend you money to buy this, to support the Chinese Police that is shooting Tibetans in Tibet. After this, Tibet will be free of Tibetans, get it, Free Tibet?

That was a joke, I don't actually know what's going on in Tibet, I just thought that joke would be hilarious. I know Tibet is part of China and that Chinese don't allow foreign media there, and that's about it.

Not quite as good as this (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/images/2008/04/20/wouldwehave.jpg), but delicious irony nonetheless.

LOLZ. That is awesome.