In the wake of the protests surrounding the Olympic torch procession, I marveled at the cause of the counter-protesters: the ones marching with Chinese flags. I can well understand the impetus for the Free Tibet (or "pro-Tibet") movement, and I can well understand an attitude of apathy or even disagreement with the importance of that movement. But I can't quite fathom the drives of the Chinese nationals, living abroad, who marched actively against the Free Tibeters, in what has recently been described as a pro-China movement. Does this movement argue that the people of Tibet have no right of self-determination? It seems a strange rallying cry to me. But then, as this NY Times article seems to say, the activists on the Chinese side want to counter what they see as slander against China as a whole, rather than specifically repudiating the idea of a Free Tibet. I haven't seen any particular anti-Free Tibet response, other than to point at a longer (and somewhat hazy) history that places Tibet as a traditional part of China.
But, an English friend of mine stung me, explaining that many Britons have been incensed that people around the world would try to tell the UK what to do with Northern Ireland—namely, to give it sovereignty or let it join the ROI. Many Northern Irish people are, of course, quite happy to be part of the UK—while others point to a history of English oppression on the island.
We Americans, I realized, are especially predisposed towards any group that wants to separate from a big parent or neighbor. But when the Southern States sought to break away for self-determination, in 1861, bringing them back by force was (and is) thought to be a great moral imperative. The issues in Tibet are surely more subtle than I'd thought.
(Any comments pointing to more thorough arguments against the Free Tibet cause would be appreciated.)
UPDATE: A recent New Yorker article, "Angry Youth" by Evan Osnos, addresses just this topic: the spirit of nationalism amongst young Chinese at home and abroad today.
I don't blame you for not understanding why the pro China protest happened. Certainly it is hard to grasp when your media brainwashed you with the anti China bias every day. China will never allow tibet or taiwan to split like the US won't allow texas and california to return to Mexico. Before the west criticized China on tibetan issue, maybe they need to check on what happened to the inhabitants of Diego Garcia island.
I agree that more people should learn about the depopulation of Diego Garcia by the US military.
However, since you raise the comparison, I'd be equally surprised if Americans living abroad were to counter a pro-Diego Garcia march with some kind of anti-Diego Garcia, or pro-America, march. Would there be any good cause behind it? Or wouldn't it be simple nationalism?
The post does not criticize China's Tibet policy from a moral high-ground, but rather asks after the interests and motivations of the expat Chinese pro-China (or anti-Free Tibet) protesters. I can't see their cause—and that was the post's impetus.