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Chloe Lai

American actress Sharon Stone's repentance over her remark that the Sichuan  earthquake was a result of Chinese people's 'bad karma' has done little to salvage her career.
French fashion and cosmetics house Christian Dior announced yesterday that it would stop all business activities and promotions in China featuring Stone because her remarks had produced a negative effect in society. Stone models for Christian Dior's beauty products.
The luxury-goods giant also expressed 'deep regret' to the Chinese public over Stone's remarks.
Shortly before being dumped by Dior, the 50-year-old  actress issued a public apology, in which she described her karma remark on the earthquake as inappropriate.
'Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people,' she said. 'I am willing to take part in the relief work of China's earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people.'
The actress also said she had worked in international charities for the past 20 years and wanted to help Chinese people.
She said during an interview at the Cannes Film Festival last week that the earthquake might have been the result of karma for how the Chinese treated Tibetans and the Dalai Lama.
'I am not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma, when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?'
Stone's apology, however, failed to calm public indignation on the mainland. Zhang Fan , an office worker in Shanghai, said: 'Her apology is useless. She has already hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.'
Mainland media described the remarks as 'cold-blooded'.
The controversial comment was  in stark contrast with the speech Stone gave at a function in Shanghai a year ago in which she hailed China as a 'great and elegant civilisation'.
Although Stone will no longer represent Dior on the mainland, and film producers expect Beijing to ban her  movies, a staff member at a popular  video shop in Shanghai said it would continue to sell  her films.
'There isn't any order that we should remove her films from the shelves. The thing is she has not had any films in recent years, so we hardly have customers asking for her films.'



Fashion house Dior dumps Sharon Stone over 'karma' remark