Beijing Pulls Obama T-shirts From Shelves

Less than a week before Obama’s first visit to China, South China Morning Post wrote yesterday about Beijing's new urgent target: T-shirts featuring US President Barack Obama dressed as a red guard." The story is behind the firewall, here is the full text:

Forget bootleg DVDs and counterfeit watches, authorities in Beijing have identified an urgent target to clamp down on: T-shirts featuring US President Barack Obama dressed as a red guard.

Tongue-in-cheek T-shirts showing Obama wearing a red-star revolutionary cap - the type favoured by Mao Zedong and state leaders during the early Communist rule - have been on sale since last year's presidential election.

Another design shows Obama dressed in Chairman Mao's trademark zhongshan suit and clutching the Statue of Liberty under one arm.

"They sell very well, and seem to be popular with both foreigners and Chinese visitors," said the owner of one souvenir stall near Houhai Lake, in the heart of the capital. "But I don't have any for sale at the moment and I doubt you'll be able to find one anywhere in the city this week."

The owner, who asked not to be named, declined to give reasons for the lack of stock.

But it appears the authorities are keen to prevent any form of embarrassment during Obama's first state visit.

One stall owner on Nanluoguxiang Street, a popular bar street north of the Forbidden City, said the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce was behind the clampdown.

"I got a call from the department this morning," he said. "They said they had heard that some people were selling Obama T-shirts near here and they me told not to sell any more. Later on, three officers came to my shop to check, and they told me not to sell any this week."

A sales assistant in a neighbouring souvenir shop, who also asked not to be named, said officials became even more zealous when she had said the shop had no Obama shirts on sale. "They took away all our Mao Zedong T-shirts instead," she said.

One shopper, who gave her name as Liu, said she was disappointed that the T-shirts were no longer available.

"I bought one last week to give to a colleague," she said. "But when I came back on Sunday with another colleague to get some more, there were none."

Obama is due to arrive in Shanghai on Sunday, then visit Beijing from Monday to Wednesday.

(Kristine Kwok in Beijing and Will Clem)