The Washington Post writes about the new mood in China as antipathy toward pro-Tibet protesters and others turns into gratitude for foreign aid and sympathy received after the earthquake:
The outpouring of goodwill has been interpreted by many Chinese as a welcome demonstration of their new status as a major power with friends around the world. But to a large degree, it has also dissipated a sour, nationalistic mood that had swollen up in response to foreign criticism of a harsh Chinese security crackdown after Tibetan riots in March.
“This is making up for a lot of the bad feelings of recent months,” said Shi Yinhong, a foreign affairs specialist at Renmin University’s International Relations Institute.
…Falling in line, the Communist Party’s propaganda apparatus signaled the official mood had changed, producing friendly comments in an official news media that only a few weeks ago was bristling at foreign governments and foreign journalists for the way they viewed Tibet.
Part of the shift was also due to generally favorable coverage in the foreign news media of the party’s swift response to the disaster. Internet commentators who had bitterly criticized CNN over its Tibet coverage, for instance, switched gears and started praising the U.S.-based news network for its moving earthquake coverage, Li pointed out.
