1. (U) Shen Jiangkuan, China's new envoy in Djibouti,
presented his credentials March 15 to President Ismail Omar
Guelleh. In his credentialling remarks, Shen described
Djibouti as a country which has contributed to the promotion
of peace and development in the region. He said Djibouti has
achieved stability, national unity and economic growth and
has become an "oasis of peace" in the Horn of Africa. Shen
looked ahead to strong Sino-Djiboutian regional cooperation.



2. (U) Responding, President Guelleh assured the people of
China of Djibouti's unwavering support for a single,
indivisible China. He gave China "first place" status in the
world in terms of economic growth, conferring on China a
"powerful weight" in international affairs.



3. (U) BIO-DATA: According to his official biography, Shen
Jiangkuan was born in 1946. His diplomatic career began in
1972 at China's embassy in Paris, where he remained until


1975. He was then appointed Attache at the Embassy of China
in Niger. From 1983 to 1987, he occupied the position of
Attache and Third Secretary in Niger and then Deputy Director
in the Information Department in the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) in China. From 1987-92, he served as First
Secretary at China's embassy in Morocco and from 1992-98 was

SIPDIS
head of Management at the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the
Department of Diplomacy in the MFA in China. From 1998 to
1999, he was Deputy Director of the Department of
Administration in the MFA. In 1999, Shen was appointed
China's Ambassador to Rwanda and in 2004, Ambassador to
Djibouti. He is married and has a daughter. Shen speaks
only French and Chinese.



4. (U) Comment: Ambassador has met Shen. He is engaging,
jovial, and appeared keen to establish a good rapport. Since
1983, China has provided substantial economic assistance to
Djibouti, with high-visibility projects such as stadiums,
housing, sanitation equipment and even the construction of
Djibouti's MFA building. (see reftel) End comment.
RAGSDALE