Some French media seemed quite excited about what happened during the Olympic torch relay in Paris a few days ago. Le Figaro ran a headline story entitled "The torch's fiasco in Paris", while the top story in La Libration read "Give China a slap in the face", describing the "fiasco" with a palpable sense of schadenfreude. Hysterical excitement is reflected in their descriptions.

We Chinese people just want to ask: Are these French newspapers the same papers once known for being serious and objective? Is this still the country called France that advocates civic virtues and respects other people?

It is true that the 2008 summer Olympics will be held in Beijing and China's 1.3 billion people are the host. But the torch relay is for the glory of the world, not only China's. All Chinese people, and perhaps those in other countries who cherish the Olympic spirit of peace and unity, cannot accept what happened in Paris. When the flame reached Paris, the governments of Paris and France were expected to protect it.