China merits praise over quake response: CEO

By Kate Holton

PARIS (Reuters) - China should be given credit for its open handling of the Sichuan earthquake which is markedly different from the way it reacted to protests over Tibet, one of the world's longest-serving advertising bosses said on Tuesday.

Maurice Levy, the Chairman and Chief Executive of France's Publicis (PUBP.PA) Group, said he did not expect any clients to cut their spending on Olympic advertising, despite the protests over Tibet and said the earthquake had changed this debate.

He also said he expected it to change how people approached the August 8-24 Games.

"The fact is that with this tragedy, the Chinese government has decided to play it openly and to disclose everything on a timely basis which is, I think, a change which has to be noticed," Levy told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit.

"I think this change has probably something to do with what happened with the Olympics. They had been surprised with the reaction regarding Tibet and they have learnt from the mismanagement of that issue and they have decided to play on an open slate."

Anti-Chinese protests broke out earlier this year around the world following China's perceived heavy-handed treatment of riots in Tibet, prompting some analysts to question whether major sponsors could be damaged by their association with the Games.

In China, the demonstrations sparked indignation.

But perceptions have changed after the earthquake eight days ago that left more than 70,000 people either dead or missing.

"We are ... in conversations with our clients and we know how they feel," said Levy, who was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of Publicis in 1987.

"There was (initially) a tremendous solidarity of the Chinese people against the Western world, and particularly France because of the torch relay, and all this resulted in a formidable movement of pride and solidarity.

"But I would call this a negative solidarity if I may and we see now a positive solidarity based on what happened in Sichuan.

"We were speaking to our clients and now they consider that it is almost a duty to make the Olympic Games even more festive, a celebration which is more open and where everyone is a part of it."

(For summit blog: summitnotebook.reuters.com/)

(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Charles Dick)