A Chinese supermarket chain has denied its overseas connectionsamid angry calls for a boycott after its former owner was found tohave led recent anti-China protests over an ongoing sovereigntydispute between the Philippines and China. Chinese media recently reported that Loida Nicolas Lewis, aPhilippine-born U.S. businesswoman who led worldwide protestsagainst China over the Huangyan Island dispute on May 11, has alsobeen operating a successful supermarket chain based in southeasternseaport city of Xiamen in Fujian Province. A call for a boycott posted at Sina Weibo, China's most populartweeting service, was forwarded 79,000 times as of Tuesday. Thenumber of tweets related to "Beatrice" -- the name of thesupermarket -- at Sina Weibo has grown to 400,000. "While earning big money in China, the boss of Beatrice Group wasorganizing anti-China protests worldwide," a netizen using ascreenname "dehuocongrui" wrote. "Everybody should see through herand join the boycott." Li Feng, deputy general manager at Xiamen Beatrice Chain StoresCo., Ltd., told Xinhua that the company is now fully Chinese-ownedand no longer maintains relations with Lewis. Records from the Xiamen Industry and Commerce Bureau showed thatLewis was chair of the board of Xiamen Beatrice Chain Stores Co.,Ltd. from June 2005 to December 2009, when the company was jointlyowned by the U.S.-registered TLC Beatrice International Holdingsand the Philippine-registered Multi-World PhilippinesInternational. However, the two foreign owners sold Beatrice to a Chinese company,which then sold it to two local Chinese individuals in March 2010,records showed. The company's current owners -- Shi Qi and Chen Shuiqing -- do notknow Lewis, Li said. However, the owners admitted that the company's turnover hasdropped by nearly 10 percent since the controversy erupted. Beatrice now runs 38 convenience stores and employs 200 workers inXiamen. A saleswoman at one of the stores said she had receivedangry phone calls and been asked to quit. "We should be patriotic, but not blindly patriotic," anotherBeatrice salesperson said. Tensions in the South China Sea started on April 10, when aPhilippine warship harassed 12 Chinese fishing vessels that hadsailed near the island to seek shelter from inclement weathers. Chinese officials have repeatedly stated that Huangyan Island is aninherent part of China's territory and that the surrounding watersare historic fishing areas of Chinese fishermen. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei urged Monday the Philippines torespect China's territorial sovereignty and "refrain from takingaction that could expand and complicate the situation." The Chinese public has grown increasingly frustrated with Manila'sresponse to the Huangyan Island dispute over the past month. "The outpour of patriotism is understandable," said Li Jinming, aXiamen University professor who has done extensive research onSouth China Sea issues. "But we should neither be irrational noroverreact." He said all legal business activities should be protected so thatinvestors' confidence in the Chinese market would not be harmed. A number of Philippine businesses, ranging from real estate andclothing to airlines and snack food brands, are currently operatingin China. Many of them are located in Fujian, the ancestral home ofmost of the Philippines' ethnic Chinese population. I am an expert from artificialgrass-lawn.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Artificial Turf Golf , China Synthetic Grass Tennis Courts, Synthetic Grass Tennis Courts,and more.
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