"It's easy to sit on your backside and preach"

I have recently refused a lucrative business offer to broker goods from a supplier who sources from China. Financing in place, logistics fully in place, factories ready to visit and people on the ground over there - the full set up, the works. I could have made a pile of cash from this but in the end have declined as I will not put money in the pocket of a brutal regime. I do wonder whether I've made a mistake as we are struggling at the moment and this was an opportunity that was difficult to resist, but in the end I had to go with my gut feeling. I want to sleep at night.

Several years ago I looked into Tibetan Buddhism for a period of time, attending classes and receiving teachings from western monks. This led to a wider interest in Tibet in general (Tibetan Buddhism is incorporates elements of the indigenous Bo religion of the region, which is one of the reasons it is so distinct), we went to see HH Dalai Lama talk, went to meetings with dissident monks who were returning to Tibet and most touching of all, a talk with HH's sister Jetsun Pema. Pema was part of a delegation sent back to Tibet to assess the state of the country (it took years before the Chinese let the delegation in). Her account, heard first hand of what she found and the oppression these gentle, people are suffering was one of the most moving things I have ever heard in my life. Talking to her afterwards, I was struck by her humility and her lack of hatred towards the Chinese - all these people want is to be able to live their own lives without interference and intimidation. They are not even asking for independence any more - simply to choose their own leader in Tibet.

Who am I asking to sacrifice their dreams? That's a matter for individual conscience, but to make an informed decision you need to be in full possession of the facts, and people can't be arsed to look those facts up anymore for fear of finding things they don't like - just look back at the posts in this thread. I don't understand how you can just ignore this for the sake of an easy life.

"Your standard of living would drop dramatically if those goods had to be obtained from elsewhere."

Not really - someone else would make them. We used to make them fifty years ago. Capitalism doesn't give a shit where stuff comes from - that would be the strength of an economic boycott, and an Olympic one - it would hit them in the pocket.