When President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) stopped over in New York to receive the 2003 International Human Rights Award, Chinese students and expatriates gathered outside the venue to stage a noisy protest. A few days ago, in Northwest University in China's Xian City, obscene acts performed by four Japanese people in a skit triggered protests by thousands of Chinese students.
What's the significance behind these two protests?
Under China's continual brainwashing with nationalist ideology, the Chinese people have long harbored illusions about threats. Any small act viewed by Chinese as disrespectful is likely to trigger immense frustration and is therefore interpreted as a threat to China's national security. When everything is weighed on the level of "security," the significance displayed by words and actions actually reflects the Chinese people's limitless anxiety about security.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/11/06/2003074807