A lone Chinese newspaper carried a report of Steven Spielberg’s decision to withdraw as an artistic adviser to the Beijing Olympics, attacking such boycotts as a source of disgust to the Chinese people.

The rest of the state-run media avoided any mention of Mr Spielberg’s announcement that his conscience required him to quit because China was doing too little to help to halt bloodshed in the Darfur region of Sudan.

The Global Times, a popular current affairs tabloid run by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily, hit back at Mr Spielberg. “Western exploitation of the Olympics to pressure China immediately provoked much disgust among ordinary Chinese people.” Using the sweeping statements on public opinion that are favoured by the state-run media, it said: “The vast majority of Chinese people have expressed bafflement and outrage at the Western pressure. In their view, it’s absolutely absurd to place the Darfur issue, so many thousands of miles away, on the head of China.”

For once, there was every sign that those Chinese who had caught wind of the snub by the Hollywood heavyweight were in agreement. Voicing their news on the Internet chatrooms that offer almost their only public forum, most reacted with fury.

They spoke as one to say that Mr Spielberg’s withdrawal would have no impact on China’s hosting of a successful Games. One wrote: “Who do you think you are?” Another commented: “Without you the world will still go round.” They rallied to the Summer Games that are being viewed almost universally as a source of national pride. Another Internet commentator, writing under a pseudomym, commented: “Do you think you are a human rights warrior? Don’t pretend to be great when in fact you’re just creating publicity for yourself.”

Another cyberspace critic said: “Don’t’ mix up the Olympics with politics. Without Spielberg China can still hold a successful Olympics Games.” Academics pounced on Mr Spielberg’s statement and his criticism over Darfur as a sign that Western powers were exploiting the moment to whip up prejudice.

Jin Canrong, an international relations expert at the People’s University of China in Beijng, told the Global Times: “Whoever uses this humanitarian issue to criticise China and put pressure on China gains something of a halo. The West has seized on China’s tremendous emphasis on the Olympic Games to criticise China.”

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