The President of the French Senate today visited a disabled Chinese torchbearer who was attacked by a Tibet separatist during the Paris leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay early this month.

Christian Poncelet, the Senate President, visited Jin Jing at Shanghai Disabled People's Sport Training Center after he arrived in Shanghai this morning, Xinhua News Agency reported today.

Poncelet is paying a visit to China from April 21 to 27, at the invitation of top legislator Wu Bangguo.

Poncelet also handed a letter written by French President Sarkozy to express his sympathy to the 27-year-old wheelchair-bound fencer who was attacked by the Tibet separatist during her leg in the much-disrupted torch relay in the French capital on April 7, the report said.

The man rushed to Jin, tried to snatch away the torch and scratched the Shanghai native's jaw.

Jin shielded the flame with her body despite repeated physical attacks by the man.

The relentless attack and some French media's biased reports about China and the Beijing Olympics spurred outrage among Chinese Internet users who have called for boycotts of French-made products and Carrefour, France's biggest retailer.

La Libération, one of the biggest daily newspapers in France, ran a story titled "The Flame: A Slap of Paris" on April 8, describing the "fiasco" that some people took pleasure from the suffering of others.

The story said the Paris leg of the torch relay turned into a fiasco for the organizers, a farce for the police, and a slap to the Chinese government. It also described it as a victory for those who oppose China.

The story also ignored thousands of Chinese students who came out to support the Beijing Olympics during the Paris relay and focused its attention on Tibetan separatists.

The French ambassador to China Herve Ladsous said yesterday that he felt "regretful" for the disruptions to the Olympic torch relay in Paris, and also hoped to meet Jin.

The stance of the French government is "clear" that the Olympic Games, which is a globally grand affair, should not be politicized, but achieve big success, Ladsous said.

Ladsous also reaffirmed that the French government respects China and its sovereignty over Tibet.

Meanwhile, LVMH, one of the shareholders of French retailer Carrefour, last week denied accusations by Chinese Internet users that it offered funds to the Dalai Lama to support his campaign to create an independent Tibet.

Carrefour China also denied that the French retail giant had supported Tibet separatists on behalf of Carrefour SA.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2008)