Why would anybody even expect protests from the Chinese population to begin with? The movie plot is so ridiculous that it's actually funny. That's why it has the potential to become a cult classic within China and would serve as counter propaganda against anti-China demonization. The problem is not the movie, the problem is the incompetent foreign image handlers China employs to manage China's image. Their knee jerk reaction has yet again wasted another opportunity to use a comical attempt at anti-China demonization to their favor. These are the same fools who write press releases with the moronic and often repeated statement....
"...actions have hurt the feelings of the Chinese people"
It's these sorts of impotent and childish statements that heap scorn on China because nobody but the Chinese government give a rats about somebody's "feelings" when they are dealing with strategic machinations. The problem is the naive mindset of those in charge of China's image who do not learn from their media experiences with the outside world.