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In the midst of this outpouring of human kindness, there is another message circulating among the nation’s mobile phones. It is a text-message call to boycott foreign companies that are seen as merciless and stingy for not donating to the earthquake victims, while they have been making big fortunes from the Chinese people in recent years. “If you’re a righteous Chinese, support domestic goods and boycott these foreign products,” one message says.
At least 10 international enterprises have been named for supposedly exploiting the Chinese people and failing to donate to earthquake victims. These include Nokia, Coca-Cola, KFC, McDonald's, Samsung, LV, Toyota, Daikin Industries, P & G and Sony.
There are no facts to support the accusations against the listed companies, however. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and most of the companies on the boycott list have assured the people that they in fact had already donated money, food or rescue equipment. But as soon as this list was transmitted via cell phones and the Internet, it became a hot topic of conversation throughout the “connected” communities in China.
The original source of this list remains unknown. Some journalists who tried to trace it concluded that it was a product of the various “ranking lists” of companies who gave donations to support earthquake relief. These have been put together by many Chinese media, Web sites and organizations, divided into such categories as stars and celebrities, the real estate industry, and foreign enterprises. Those who did not make their donations through the channels providing the rankings would be omitted from the lists, leading to misunderstanding by the public.
The call to boycott has led to scattered protests. For example, a group of “patriots” showed up to protest against McDonald's in Nanchong city in Sichuan province on May 20. Signs saying, “Get out of China!” were posted outside the restaurant, along with the list of “stingy” foreign companies. The protest drew a crowd, most of whom were there just to watch the excitement until the police arrived and stopped the illegal protest.
Two hours after that incident, the restaurant's staff began to distribute flyers explaining that McDonald's had donated 1.5 million yuan (US$220,000) and provided free food at blood donation centers. The second day after the protest, McDonald's announced it was giving an additional 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) to rebuild schools in the disaster area.
China’s Ministry of Commerce did not clarify until May 22 that the list of stingy international companies did not accord with the truth. The commerce minister stated that most of the companies on the list had offered over 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in donations, while a few had given at least several million yuan. Besides, he said, donations should be voluntary. He criticized protests against those who did not donate as irrational.
But the online accusations did not subside. Instead, they spread to include domestic enterprises seen as not donating enough for earthquake victims.
The owner of Vanke Company, a Chinese real estate giant with net profits of over 48 billion yuan (US$700 million) in 2007, aroused indignation with the remarks he made after donating 2 million yuan (US$290,000) on May 12, the date the earthquake occurred. The owner, Wang Shi, said on May 15 that giving donations in time of disasters was a common practice for companies, but it should not become a huge burden for them, to enable them to sustain this practice.
Netizens and bloggers overwhelmingly condemned this justification of Wang’s humble donation. “He strode to the heights of the world but not to the grave mounds at Wenchuan (the most damaged zone),” one netizen wrote. As a result, Vanke’s stock price dropped dramatically by 12 percent from May 15 to May 20.
On the evening of May 20, Vanke finally announced it would give another 100 million yuan (US$15 million) to rebuild houses in the earthquake zone, and that its professional team would help plan the reconstruction effort. Wang stirred the people’s anger because he represented, to many, the new class of the heartless rich, with no sense of social responsibility.
Fortunately, not all Chinese failed to see through this argument. Some online commentators bravely took the opposite view.
Some argued that donations should be freely given, not compulsory. Others berated online critics for being hotheaded and irrational. “The angry youth are really enthusiastic but foolish,” wrote one blogger. “They call for mass protests, but after the atmosphere calms down, they forget what has happened and go eat at McDonald's again!”
Why have Chinese netizens and bloggers been so eager to pass on information like this? Do they do it just for clicks? In fact, it is said that more than 30.8 billion yuan (US$ 4.4 billion) has been raised from foreign and domestic donors for the earthquake victims in Sichuan. The next issue that should raise concerns is how the Chinese authorities will handle such a huge outpouring of generosity.
