French President Nicolas Sarkozy offered his personal support yesterday to wheelchair-bound mainland athlete Jin Jing , who has become a rallying point for Chinese outrage at protests over the Olympic torch relay after a pro-Tibet activist tried to seize the torch from her in Paris.

In a letter delivered by French Senate president Christian Poncelet, Mr Sarkozy said he condemned the attacks on Jin, who was scratched and bruised as she clung to the torch during the chaotic relay in the French capital. He invited the former wheelchair fencer, who lost a leg to cancer, to visit Paris again soon.

"I was shocked to see what happened during the torch relay," Mr Poncelet said in Shanghai, quoting from Mr Sarkozy’s letter.

"It is understandable that the Chinese people feel hurt. I hereby strongly condemn what they did." Those behind "this painful incident" did not represent the friendship between the nations, Mr Sarkozy said in his letter.

Mr Poncelet gave Jin a firm hug and kissed her on the cheek. When he handed the letter to her, he bowed and kissed her hand.

The diplomatic importance attached to Jin by France was obvious. Mr Poncelet made a meeting with the 27-year-old many see as a heroine the first stop of his week-long trip to the mainland, putting her ahead of state leaders in Beijing. He is set to meet President Hu Jintao and National People’s Congress chairman Wu Bangguo .

Observers considered the move a smart gesture by Mr Sarkozy’s administration, which is keen to pacify the anti-French sentiment the torch incident helped stir up. Thousands protested outside French-owned Carrefour supermarkets across the mainland at the weekend.

Mr Sarkozy has been accused by some Chinese of adding fuel to the fire with his earlier remark that he would consider boycotting the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics on August 8 unless Beijing opened a dialogue with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Beijing blames the "Dalai clique" for deadly riots that began in Lhasa last month and spread to other Tibetan-populated areas.

"This time around, President Sarkozy brought to full display his diplomatic flexibility in his gesture of solidarity with Jin, It could be a good beginning for a reconciliation process," said Feng Zhongping , director of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

It is unclear if, or how, the controversy will be resolved. Thousands picketed Carrefour stores in nine cities yesterday, and the Paris city council was set to award honorary citizenship to the Dalai Lama, a move sure to inflame tensions.

For the fourth straight day, the People’s Daily carried an editorial urging citizens to be "rational" in showing their "patriotism".