Cablegate: Media Reaction: China-U.S. Relations, Taiwan

VZCZCXRO5615
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #3159/01 3270951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230951Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6921
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003159

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007)
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON KMDR OPRC CH

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS, TAIWAN

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Editorial Quotes
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1. CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS

a. "China should show the United States the direction of its
military development"

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(11/23)(pg 14): "Obama's recent visit to China
will finally decide the United States' China policy. If the two
countries want to establish a stable military relationship, the
United States needs to accept China's role as a future military
power and China needs to insist on a permanent defensive military
strategy, in which it would neither challenge the United States'
core interests nor seek regional or international hegemony. China
should make a greater effort to communicate more confidently and
openly with the United States and other countries, explaining to
them that China's core national interests require an increased
military strength. China has no need to cover this up and should be
able to be open about its large weapons development plans with other
countries. Once China talks frankly about the fact that its
military modernization is irreversible and the only choice is for
other countries to accept China's rising military strength,
suspicions about China will disappear as will the 'China threat
theory.'"

b. "There is still a potential flash point in Sino-U.S. relations"

The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(11/23)(pg 10):
"President Obama's visit to China was significant in its
contribution to the growing maturity in the China-U.S. relationship,
which has been redefined as a partnership to jointly deal with
common challenges. This partnership will include 'strategic
reassurance'; mutual respect of each other's development model and
culture; and cooperation on regional and global issues. However,
Obama's proactive China policy still lacks popular support in the
United States, and the anti-China faction in the U.S. is still
strong. Partisan strife, conflicts between the administration and
Congress, and the influence of special interests group will all make
China a victim of domestic political struggles in the United States.
In addition, the U.S. is walking a fine line on the Taiwan and
Tibet issues, which could hurt China-U.S. relations."

c. "We should avoid one-way thinking in China-U.S. energy
cooperation"

Guangdong 21st Century Publishing Company Ltd.'s business newspaper
21st Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao)(11/23)(pg 2):
"China-U.S. energy cooperation is a trend the two countries should
make an effort to develop in an equally beneficial and sustainable
way. With this goal in mind, the United States and China should
avoid one-way thinking about technology imports and new energy
exploration. China should pursue new energy exploration based on
its own needs. Despite focusing on renewable energy cooperation in
the China-U.S. joint statement, China should emphasize cooperation
on coal bed gas based on the realities and needs of China.
China-U.S. technical cooperation in the energy sector should not
turn into a one-way division of labor and technology transfer - i.e.
the United States conducts the research and development, while China
provides back-up support and then spends millions of dollars to buy
the technologies. This practice runs counter to the principle of
equality and should not continue. China should also remain sober
about the concept of a low carbon economy. Both the United States
and China, when their economies start to recover, will be inclined
to combat global warming through technology replacement and energy
cooperation."

2. TAIWAN

"Blue and green camps in Taiwan have different interpretations of
Obama"

The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(11/23)(pg 6):
"After the United States and China issued the joint statement, the
'blue camp' in Taiwan came to the conclusion that the current period
is the best time for U.S.-Mainland-Taiwan relations in 60 years.
However, the 'green camp' concluded that the statement means the
U.S. is going to give up on Taiwan. Many observers believe the
China-U.S. joint statement is an important indication of an
adjustment in the United States' policy on Taiwan. Fu Quan, a
well-known Taiwan expert, said that in the past the United States
has opposed both 'Taiwan independence' and 'unification,' and
supported a continuation of the status quo. However, now the United
States opposes 'Taiwan independence,' but will tolerate

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'unification.' The fact that the United States did not mention the
'Taiwan Relations Act' and the three communiqus, which is rare, has
made many pro-independence activists in Taiwan very nervous.
Professor Xiu Chunping at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the
China Academy of Social Sciences argued that the United States and
China have an increasingly common view on the Taiwan issue.
However, it is not realistic to expect the United States to
immediately make a complete U-turn.'"

HUNTSMAN

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