BURMESE NARCOTICS: CHINESE AMBASSADOR ADVOCATES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000502

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2014
TAGS: PREL SNAR BM CH
SUBJECT: BURMESE NARCOTICS: CHINESE AMBASSADOR ADVOCATES
ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT

REF: RANGOON 501

Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: The Chinese ambassador to Burma advocates
shifting international focus from counter-drug activities
toward alternative and long-term development as a means to
keep farmers from cultivating poppy and producing opium. He
said current PRC counternarcotics activities in Burma are
mostly Yunnan-based, although Beijing is undertaking efforts
to apply greater central oversight in order to improve
China's cooperation with international efforts. We suggested
that a PRC contribution to UNODC programs would be an
important sign of China's willingness to coordinate efforts.
The Chinese ambassador was receptive to the idea. End
Comment.


2. (U) On April 6, COM and P/E officers met with Chinese
Ambassador Li Jinjun to discuss the recent visit of Vice
Premier Wu Yi and sundry developments in Burma (reftel).
During that meeting, we had the opportunity to exchange views
on a variety of counternarcotics issues.

"Move Beyond Anti-drug Activities"
--------------


3. (C) Ambassador Li said he had recently visited the Kokang
border region of northeastern Shan State and concluded, as he
had in the neighboring Wa region, that counterdrug efforts
should not be limited to ceasing opium production. He said
that the international community should help local poppy
farmers with alternatives and basic survival. "Without
poverty alleviation," Li said, "drugs will stay," adding that
he anticipates some Wa farmers will be unable to meet the
2005 opium-free deadline. Li said that China has provided
assistance for rubber plantations, but noted that many
alternative crops had minimal opportunities for value-added
production and he advocated international support for job
creation, income generation, and energy production.


4. (C) Ambassador Li observed that Kokang and Wa farmers
faced severe short-term food shortages that accompanied their
reduction in poppy cultivation. He noted the "positive"
intervention this year of the World Food Program and NGOs to
provide emergency food assistance (and said that the WFP was
procuring some food rations from Chinese markets),but said
that in the long-term farmers needed their own income "to be
able to buy their own food from China and other sources."

China Seeks Coordination
--------------


5. (C) Li said that to date local authorities in Yunnan
Province had the primary lead on China's counternarcotics
efforts in Burma and are engaged in cross-border cooperation,
investment in factories, and "town to town assistance." He
said, however, that authorities in Beijing were undertaking
new efforts to bring Yunnan-based activities under central
PRC government control in order to "coordinate
counternarcotics efforts with the international community,
including the U.S."


6. (C) The COM asked Ambassador Li about Chinese views on Wa
druglords who have well known relations with Chinese
traffickers and investors. Li responded that the PRC's
central drug committee is focused on these activities and
recently opened a branch office in Yunnan Province to monitor
local anti-drug efforts. However, Li said his top priority
remained to shift the focus from counternarcotics activities
toward development issues and he would continue to "try and
convince Beijing" to redirect resources appropriately.

Ante Up
--------------


7. (C) In response to Li's stated desire of the PRC to
encourage greater international cooperation, we urged him to
seek Beijing assistance for UNODC activities in Burma. We
noted that, at China's request, the local version of the
mini-Dublin group had recently expanded to include the PRC,
India, and Thailand as recognition of their interest and
involvement in addressing Burma's drug problems. Even a
symbolic PRC contribution to UNODC's Wa or Kokang projects,
we said, would be an important sign of China's interest in
improving international coordination, adding that UNODC
projects contained several alternative development components
that matched China's objectives more closely than those of
the U.S.


8. (C) Ambassador Li said the suggestion of a Chinese
contribution to UNODC was "a very good idea" and he would
propose it to Beijing. "Our current approach is at the local
level," he acknowledged, "and we need be in sync with the
rest of the international community and the UN framework is
very effective."


9. (C) Comment: Subsequent to our meeting with Ambassador Li,
we suggested to UNODC representative Jean-Luc Lemahieu that
he consider sending copies of his KOWI and Wa project
proposals to the Chinese Embassy. He agreed and was pleased
to learn about Ambassador Li's enthusiasm, but expressed
doubts that China, a recipient of UN funding, would "tip the
balance" and donate to a UN program in Burma. Nonetheless,
Lemahieu said that in recent months China had stepped up
counternarcotics activities and in general was becoming
"increasingly open and cooperative with UN and regional
activities." End Comment.
Martinez