LVMH, one of the Carrefour Group's shareholders, issued a statement Thursday saying the company was firm in its support for China's unity and sovereignty, and had never backed any political organization unfavorable to China.

The statement was made amid strong protests, which included a call for a boycott of Carrefour by some Chinese people, against the company for allegedly providing funding to the Dalai Lama.

LVMH has so far not been affected by any boycott of its products in China, according to the head of the French luxury group, who also denied accusations by Chinese Internet users that the company supported the Dalai Lama against China.

The company was deeply concerned over the false reports that appeared on the Internet and some media, the statement said, adding the allegations were "absolutely groundless."

"I categorically deny the allegations made against us on these blogs about the support that we would have given to this or that political or religious cause," LVMH Chief Executive Bernard Arnault told Le Figaro in an interview published on the French daily's website late Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Chinese people were urged through text messages and online chat rooms to boycott Carrefour's outlets from May 1. Carrefour China on Tuesday denied any involvement in pro-separatist activities.

"Even if one can be shocked by what's happening in Tibet, it is equally shocking to see attacks against China," Arnault told Le Figaro. "China has made immense progress in 20 years, in its economic development and its opening to the world."

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani played down the boycott call and criticism. "We listen to the voice of the Chinese people, which is a friendly people, but the calls for a boycott are being made by a very small minority, and we have no knowledge of any effect of these initiatives on our economic relations," she said.

Chinese counterpart Jiang Yu, who said on Tuesday that China hoped "the French side can listen to the Chinese people's voices concerning the recent problems and adopt an objective position."

(SD-Agencies)