Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02HANOI2871
2002-12-02 09:21:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Hanoi
Cable title:  

HANOI'S VIEW OF CHINA'S 16TH PARTY CONGRESS

Tags:  PREL PGOV CH VM CVR 
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UNCLAS HANOI 002871 

SIPDIS
UNCLASSIFIED PTO2951

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PAGE 01 HANOI 02871 01 OF 02 020948Z
ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AIT-03 CIAE-00 DS-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00
VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 M-00 NSAE-00
PER-00 TEST-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00
/006W
------------------111AF1 020948Z /38
R 020921Z DEC 02
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8229
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMCONSUL CHENGDU
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMCONSUL SHENYANG
AIT TAIPEI 0711
ASEAN COLLECTIVE
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ACHAO//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002871

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/CM


UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HANOI 02871 01 OF 02 020948Z
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV CH VM CVR
SUBJECT: HANOI'S VIEW OF CHINA'S 16TH PARTY CONGRESS

REF: A. HANOI 1290 B. HANOI 2417

UNCLAS HANOI 002871

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INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AIT-03 CIAE-00 DS-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00
VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 M-00 NSAE-00
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/006W
-------------- 111AF1 020948Z /38
R 020921Z DEC 02
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8229
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMCONSUL CHENGDU
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMCONSUL SHENYANG
AIT TAIPEI 0711
ASEAN COLLECTIVE
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ACHAO//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002871

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/CM


UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HANOI 02871 01 OF 02 020948Z
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV CH VM CVR
SUBJECT: HANOI'S VIEW OF CHINA'S 16TH PARTY CONGRESS

REF: A. HANOI 1290 B. HANOI 2417


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. OBSERVERS IN HANOI ASSESSED THE
RECENTLY CONCLUDED CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY (CCP) 16TH PARTY
CONGRESS AS "POSITIVE" AND PREDICTED THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF
VIETNAM'S (CPV) LEADERSHIP WOULD CLOSELY STUDY ITS DECISIONS
WHILE STEERING ITS OWN COURSE OVER THE NEXT DECADE. CPV
OFFICIALS DECLINED TO MEET WITH EMBOFFS ON THIS SUBJECT,
DESPITE OUR REPEATED REQUESTS. END SUMMARY.

--------------
WE'RE PAYING ATTENTION
--------------


2. (SBU) DR. NGUYEN HUY QUY, DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF
CHINA STUDIES OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES AND
HUMANITIES IN VIETNAM, COMMENTED TO POLOFF THAT "PARTY
LEADERS IN VIETNAM ALWAYS WATCH CLOSELY WHAT HAPPENS IN
CHINA AND WILL DO SO THIS TIME." SPECIFICALLY, DR. QUY
NOTED THAT THE 16TH CCP CONGRESS HAD "REAFFIRMED THE
PROGRESS" MADE DURING THE TENURE OF PRC HEAD OF STATE AND
PARTY JIANG ZEMIN, AND ENSHRINED JIANG'S "THREE REPRESENTS"
THEORY AS ONE OF THE "FOUNDATIONS" OF THE CCP. DR. QUY
ASSESSED THAT JIANG'S TENURE HAD EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE
OF "BUILDING A WELL-OFF SOCIETY" AND "INCLUDING PRIVATE
ENTERPRISE ELEMENTS" IN THE CCP. DR. QUY CLAIMED THAT CPV
LEADERS ARE LOOKING CLOSELY AT THIS "EVOLUTION" OF THE CCP
AND "WILL NO DOUBT STUDY" ITS APPLICABILITY TO VIETNAM.
UNCLASSIFIED


PAGE 03 HANOI 02871 01 OF 02 020948Z
WITH THE PRC'S "FAST-GROWING MARKET ECONOMY," "ADJUSTMENTS"
BY THE CCP ARE "INEVITABLE," HE ADDED. DR. QUY SUGGESTED
THIS WILL ALSO APPLY TO THE CPV, ALBEIT AT A "MORE
DELIBERATE PACE, SINCE CHINA IS SO FAR AHEAD OF VIETNAM
ECONOMICALLY." DR QUY OPINED THAT SUCH ADJUSTMENTS ARE
"HEALTHY AND SHOULD LEAD TO MORE DEMOCRATIC POLICIES."


3. (SBU) SEPARATELY, COLONEL TRAN NHUNG, INTERNATIONAL
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR OF THE "PEOPLE'S ARMY" NEWSPAPER,
PREDICTED THAT CPV LEADERS "WILL STUDY CLOSELY" THE RESULTS
OF THE CCP CONGRESS, ESPECIALLY CONCERNING
"INDUSTRIALIZATION AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISE" AS WELL AS
"BUILDING A WELL-OFF SOCIETY." HE OPINED THAT THE CCP
CONGRESS COULD SERVE AS SOMETHING OF A "ROAD MAP" FOR THE
CPV'S NEXT PARTY CONGRESS IN 2006. COLONEL NHUNG SAID THAT,
"PERSONALLY," HE "LIKED THE TRENDS" EVIDENCED DURING THE CCP
CONGRESS AND THAT THERE WAS MUCH THAT WAS "USEFUL" FOR THE
CPV TO CONSIDER. HOWEVER, HE CAUTIONED, CPV POLICIES WOULD
NECESSARILY "REFLECT THE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS IN VIETNAM,"
NOT MERELY COPY THE CCP'S DECISIONS.


4. (SBU) DR. QUY ALSO PREDICTED THAT, BY THE NEXT CPV
PARTY CONGRESS IN 2006, "IT IS LIKELY" THAT THE CPV WOULD
ADOPT LANGUAGE "SIMILAR TO THE CCP" CONCERNING THE INCLUSION
OF PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS AS PARTY MEMBERS. SIMILARLY,
COLONEL NHUNG NOTED THAT THE "TREND IN THAT DIRECTION IS
ALREADY CLEAR, AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE FIFTH PARTY PLENUM"
EARLIER IN 2002.

--------------
MINIMAL IMPACT ON BILATERAL RELATIONS
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 HANOI 02871 01 OF 02 020948Z
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5. (U) DR. QUY OPINED THAT THE CCP CONGRESS AND THE
RESULTING CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP "SHOULD NOT HAVE MUCH, IF
ANY, IMPACT ON THE PRC-VIETNAM RELATIONSHIP" BECAUSE "THESE
DAYS THE RELATIONSHIP IS VERY STABLE" (REFTELS). HE
CLAIMED, HOWEVER, THAT WHILE THE PRC STILL "INFLUENCES
VIETNAM HEAVILY," VIETNAM WILL CONTINUE TO "LOOK MORE TO THE
WEST IN THIS ERA OF GLOBALIZATION." COLONEL NHUNG COMMENTED
THAT "RELATIONS HAVE DEVELOPED WELL SINCE 1991" AND THAT
"THE NEW CCP LEADERSHIP IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH VIETNAM."

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


6. (U) AS THE PRC'S OVERALL INFLUENCE HAS CONTINUED TO
GROW STEADILY SINCE NORMALIZATION RESUMED IN 1991, VIETNAM
WATCHES EVERYTHING THE PRC DOES VERY CLOSELY, INCLUDING --
OR PERHAPS ESPECIALLY -- REGARDING PARTY AFFAIRS. NOT TO
OUR GREAT SURPRISE BUT DISAPPOINTINGLY, CPV EXTERNAL

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED PTQ5253

PAGE 01 HANOI 02871 02 OF 02 020948Z
ACTION EAP-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AIT-03 CIAE-00 DS-00 FBIE-00 UTED-00
VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 M-00 NSAE-00
PER-00 TEST-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00
/006W
-------------- 111AF9 020948Z /38
R 020921Z DEC 02
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8230
INFO AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH CITY
AMEMBASSY BEIJING
AMCONSUL CHENGDU
AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
AMCONSUL SHENYANG
AIT TAIPEI 0712
ASEAN COLLECTIVE
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
SECDEF WASHDC//ISA/ACHAO//

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HANOI 002871

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HANOI 02871 02 OF 02 020948Z


COMMISSION OFFICIALS DECLINED TO MEET WITH POLOFFS TO
DISCUSS THE CCP CONGRESS AND THE LARGER ISSUE OF VIETNAM/PRC
TIES. EVER CAUTIOUS, CPV OFFICIALS MAY BELIEVE BOTH THAT
THEIR VIEWS OF THE CONGRESS AND THE CCP ARE NONE OF THE
USG'S BUSINESS, AND/OR THAT THE VIETNAM-PRC RELATIONSHIP IS
STILL TOO SENSITIVE TO DISCUSS OPENLY WITH US.
BURGHARDT

UNCLASSIFIED