French Envoys Sent to China After Paris Torch Melee

PARIS — President Sarkozy of France is sending three senior envoys to China to try to quell rising anti-French sentiment in the wake of the chaotic Paris leg of the Olympic torch relay.

The leader of the French Senate and first to arrive in Beijing, Christian Poncelet, was met yesterday by a third day of demonstrations around the country, as thousands gathered outside branches of the French supermarket chain Carrefour calling for a boycott of French goods.

Protesters in Wuhan, in central China, were seen waving French flags with swastikas on. One flag bore the words "Joan of Arc equals prostitute, Napoleon equals pervert, France equals Nazi."

The Chinese were furious at the sabotage of the Olympic torch leg in Paris on April 7 by demonstrators protesting against China's action in Tibet. The flame was put out four times and the tour cut short.

A second envoy, the former prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is due in Beijing on tomorrow, and Mr. Sarkozy's chief diplomatic adviser, Jean-David Levitte, will arrive this weekend.