Cablegate: November 25 Mfa Press Briefing: Sed, Six-Party Talks,

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004329

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EFIN TW CH RS PE
SUBJECT: NOVEMBER 25 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: SED, SIX-PARTY TALKS,
TIBET, PRC MILITARY BUILDUP, TOY SAFETY, U.S. ECONOMIC STIMULUS

1. Key points at the November 25 MFA press briefing:

-- China will host the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED)
December 4-5 and hopes the meeting will lay the "building blocks for
enduring cooperation."

-- China has proposed to host the next round of Six-Party Talks on
December 8 and is consulting with the other parties on this issue.
China is working to make "good preparations to implement the second
phase" of the North Korean nuclear disablement process in a
"comprehensive and balanced way."

-- On Tibet, the MFA spokesperson refused to respond in detail to a
question on the recent Dharamsala meeting of Tibetan exiles and
whether China plans to continue talks with the Dalai Lama's
representatives, merely stating, "We have talked about this issue
many times in the past." On French President Sarkozy's upcoming
meeting with the Dalai Lama, the spokesperson said Beijing expects
every country to respect that Tibet is a part of China and hopes
that the PRC and France can "overcome all distractions and maintain
overall bilateral relations."

-- China's military policy is "defensive in nature," and China
"unswervingly pursues peaceful development."

-- Chinese authorities have "strengthened inspections" of toys,
"especially those for export." If any problems are discovered,
China will "not allow the products to be exported."

-- China "hopes the United States will maintain a stable economy,"
which will be good for China and the entire world. China looks
forward to "strong communication, cooperation and coordination" with
the United States in this regard.

STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DIALOGUE
---------------------------

2. At the November 25 MFA press briefing, spokesperson Qin Gang said
China will host the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED)
December 4-5. Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan and U.S. Treasury
Secretary Henry Paulson will lead the dialogue, accompanied by other
senior representatives from their respective governments. China
hopes the SED will lay "building blocks for enduring cooperation"
and "strategically manage economic risk" to cope with "traditional
challenges and promote an environment for trade and cooperation."

SIX-PARTY TALKS
---------------

3. Qin said China has proposed to host the next round of Six-Party
Talks on December 8 and that it is maintaining communication and
consultation with the other parties on this issue. China is working
to make "good preparations to implement the second phase" of the
North Korean nuclear disablement process in a "comprehensive and
balanced way." When asked later for clarification on whether the
December 8 date was fixed, Qin said China was still waiting for
replies and feedback from the other Six-Party members and would
finalize plans according to their "opinions." Qin said how long the
talks last would depend on discussions among the Six-Party members.

TIBET
-----

4. Qin refused to respond in detail to a question on the recent
Dharamsala meeting of Tibetan exiles and whether China plans to
continue talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives, merely
stating, "We have talked about this issue many times in the past."
When asked about France hosting the China-EU dialogue, as well as
French President Nicholas Sarkozy's planned meeting with the Dalai
Lama on December 6, Qin said the Chinese Government attaches "great
importance to the EU-China relationship" and wants to "expand
cooperative relations at all levels to ensure win-win progress."
The Chinese Government position on the Dalai Lama issue is "clear
and consistent," Qin stated. China "opposes the Dalai Lama's
separatist activities overseas" and "opposes leaders of other
countries participating in meetings with him in any way." China
expects every country to commit to respecting that Tibet is a part
of China. Qin added that "Tibet-related issues are an internal
Chinese affair," and he hoped China and France can "overcome all
distractions and maintain overall bilateral relations."

CHINESE MILITARY BUILDUP
------------------------

5. When asked about comments reportedly made by U.S. Navy Admiral
John J. Donnelly in Australia stating that the United States is
moving 60 percent of its submarine fleet to the region to counter
China's buildup of its submarine fleet, Qin replied that China
"unswervingly pursues peaceful development" and China's military

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policy is "defensive in nature." China "advocates the new concept
of security" by building dialogue and working with other nations.
China's defense buildup does not "pose a threat to any other
country," Qin declared.

CHINESE TOY SAFETY
------------------

6. When questioned about the safety of Chinese-made toys ahead of
the Christmas shopping season, Qin responded that China "takes
product safety very seriously" and is a "big toy producer" whose
exports "bring happiness to children and adults" around the world.
The Chinese Government requires toy producers to "pay attention to
quality" and "strengthen management and supervision." Chinese
authorities have "strengthened inspections" of toys "especially
those for export," and if any problems are discovered, China will
"not allow the products to be exported."

7. Qin acknowledged "several incidents" in recent years, stating
that the Chinese Government took a "serious and objective" view of
them. Some Chinese products were made "according to the design of
foreign clients" and there were sometimes "problems with the design
by the foreign side." The Chinese Government "urged" Chinese
producers not only to focus on production, but also to "pay
attention to" design. If they "found problems" with the design
"they should refuse" the order. Qin said Christmas was not far away
and wished Children around the world a "Merry Christmas."

U.S. ECONOMIC STIMULUS
----------------------

8. The Chinese government has "taken note" of some of U.S.
President-elect Obama's appointments to cabinet and advisor
positions, Qin said, commenting that China is ready to work with
them to "strengthen cooperation" and "promote U.S.-China
collaboration in a wide range of fields." Asked about the U.S.
President-elect's plan for an economic stimulus package, Qin said
China believes all countries should "take measures in accordance
with their national conditions to restore confidence and ensure
economic growth." The United States, as the "largest economy," will
have the "greatest impact" on other nations around the world. China
"hopes the United States will maintain a stable economy," which will
be good for China and the rest of the world. China looks forward to
"strong communication, cooperation and coordination" with the United
States in this regard.

UNITED NATIONS TORTURE REPORT
-----------------------------

9. Qin repeated his November 22 comments in response to a question
about the United Nations Committee Against Torture, reiterating that
the report "was not objective, fair or just." The report was made
by "biased committee members" who "chose to ignore the substantial
progress the Chinese Government has made in recent years." Qin said
the report was also based on "untrue and unverified information."
The "report made groundless accusations against China," alleging
that China "persecutes" Tibetans and Uighurs and that the PRC
"overused armed forces in the March 14 incident and persecuted the
Dalai Lama." Qin said all of these charges were "totally fabricated
and groundless."

CHINESE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY OVERSEAS TRIP
--------------------------------------------- ----

10. Chinese Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu will visit
Cambodia and Vietnam November 28-December 6 at the invitation of
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng
and Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Le Hong Anh.

"CHINESE DEMOCRACY"
-------------------

11. When asked about the release of the "Guns N' Roses" album
"Chinese Democracy," Qin said that according to his understanding,
many people do not like this music as it is "too loud."

MFA HUTONG REMODELING
---------------------

12. In response to a question about the planned demolition of an
MFA-owned Qing dynasty hutong in Beijing's Nanluoguxiang
neighborhood, Qin said the Chinese Government would proceed with a
plan to "renovate" the hutong neighborhood so as to "strengthen
[its] management." The MFA has decided to "renovate and open" the
hutong to the public. Qin said the MFA was doing a "good job" to
move the people living in the hutong and to "venerate" the relics in
accordance with the standards for protection of Beijing cultural
relics.

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