Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04THEHAGUE3177
2004-12-06 16:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

NETHERLANDS/EU/CHINA: CHINA SUMMIT CONTENT STILL

Tags:  PREL ETRD MARR PARM CH NL EUN 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003177 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014
TAGS: PREL ETRD MARR PARM CH NL EUN
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/EU/CHINA: CHINA SUMMIT CONTENT STILL
UNDER NEGOTIATION

REF: THE HAGUE 3166

Classified By: POL Counselor Andrew Schofer for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003177

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014
TAGS: PREL ETRD MARR PARM CH NL EUN
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/EU/CHINA: CHINA SUMMIT CONTENT STILL
UNDER NEGOTIATION

REF: THE HAGUE 3166

Classified By: POL Counselor Andrew Schofer for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: With just over one working day left before
the EU-China Summit, the Dutch are still in negotiations with
the Chinese regarding content of an EU-China Joint Statement,
including what if anything will come of talk about a Chinese
"gesture" on human rights as part of a package for a possible
signal from the EU on its China Arms Embargo. The Dutch are
"hoping" a Statement will be agreed upon, but claim they are
"not bending over" for the Chinese. The China Summit will
follow the same agenda as previous summits, with a two-hour
plenary session, signing ceremony, news conference, working
lunch, formal dinner, and day-two Business Summit. The
Chinese will hold a ministerial-level bilat with the Dutch,
pay a "working visit" to European aerospace company Estec and
have an audience with Queen Beatrix. End Summary.


2. (U) The Hague will host the annual EU-China Summit on
Wednesday, December 8. EU Representatives will include Dutch
PM Jan Peter Balkenende and FM Bernard Bot for the Dutch
Presidency, European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao
Barroso, EU High Rep Javier Solana, and European Commissioner
for External Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Premier Wen
Jiabao will lead the Chinese delegation.

Agenda Follows Previous Formats, Topics Still Contentious
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Poloff spoke with China Desk officer and Deputy Head
of East Asia Division Gerrie Willems on November 23 and
December 6 about Dutch expectations for the event. The
EU-China Summit will pack several substantive meetings and a
few ceremonial events into two days' time, cut shorter by a
mix of consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. The
two-hour plenary session will feature the usual political
topics such as recent developments in the EU and China,
special interest issues including the EU China Arms Embargo,
Taiwan, nonproliferation, and human rights, and economic

issues such as Trade, WTO, Market Economy Status, and
sectoral dialogues already in place. Political issues will
include two new agreements: a Framework Agreement to replace
the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement of 1985, and
slow but continuing efforts toward an EU-China Readmissions
Agreement. At Chinese request, the agenda will include
discussion of the EU China Arms Embargo (see reftel for GoNL
Comments on this issue). Also at China,s initiative, the
agenda will include discussion of Taiwan; Willems expected
the EU to give reassurance of its adherence to a one-China
policy and state its expectation that tensions between China
and Taiwan can be resolved through peaceful dialogue. At the
EU,s initiative, the agenda will include discussion of how
to improve cooperation between EU and China on
non-proliferation issues, as well as further discussion of
human rights. Any "particularly difficult" topics left over
from the plenary discussion will be moved to the working
lunch agenda to be discussed alongside regional/international
issues "of mutual interest" such as North Korea, Afghanistan,
Iran, and Burma. On December 6, Willems confirmed these four
countries were still under discussion for inclusion in the
agenda, but had not yet been finally agreed upon.

Human Rights
--------------


4. (C) With regard to human rights, Willems expected the EU
to outline its conclusions about the Human Rights Dialogue
Evaluation, finding that while overall China has made some
limited progress during the period of the dialogue, much more
remains to be done and the dialogue should continue. Human
rights discussion will also cover EU areas of concern
including the death penalty, religious freedom, political
prisoners, and Tibet. Willems stated that she could not be
certain whether China would make a human rights gesture
before or during the Summit. Willems said that while
pressure has been mounting on China within the framework of
the Arms Embargo discussion, she emphasized that there is "no
formal link" between human rights and the arms embargo, but
that China has been made to understand that it "would be very
helpful." She noted possible gestures might include a
timetable for ratification of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),releasing Tiananmen
prisoners, etc, but said she "hadn't seen too much yet" from
the Chinese on this. She observed that while the Chinese are
traditionally averse to outside pressure, they have been
increasingly adjusting to "more western ways" of talking and
negotiating. She continued to believe that "anything could
happen" at or before the Summit. On December 6, Willems
maintained that discussions were still under way, and such a
gesture was "still on the table."

Signing Ceremony and Joint Statement
--------------

5. (C) Following the morning plenary session, but preceeding
the working lunch, the Dutch will host a signing ceremony and
press conference. Sectoral agreements will include a Customs
cooperation agreement to be signed, a Renewed Science and
Technology Agreement to be initialed, and a Euratom Agreement
on peaceful use of nuclear research to be initialed. Willems
noted on December 6 that the Euratom agreement is still on
the table pending "unclear Chinese coordination." Financing
agreements/projects will include a social security reform
project to be signed, an EU-China Managers Exchange and
Training Programme to be signed, and an EU-China Information
Society to be signed. Announcement will be made of an
employment dialogue to be initiated, a dialogue on
macroeconomic/financial sector issues to be initiated, and a
Joint Declaration on Non-proliferation will be signed.
Willems revealed November 23 that the Dutch were in
discussion with the Chinese regarding an EU-China Joint
Statement to be released on the day of the Summit. On
December 6, the contents of that statement were still under
discussion.

Dutch-Chinese Official Visit
--------------


6. (C) On the afternoon of December 8, non-Dutch EU
participants will take a break in order to allow the Dutch
and Chinese a one-hour ministerial-level "official" visit.
Topics to be covered at the one-hour meeting (which will have
consecutive interpretation) may include as time permits:
Chinese PM,s presentation about economic developments in
China, agriculture cooperation, health issues, education,
water management, economics and trade, science and
technology. Dutch PM Balkenende will host a formal dinner on
the evening of the 8th.

EU-China Business Summit
--------------


7. (SBU) On December 9, the EU-China Business Summit will
gather an expected hundred and fifty Chinese entrepreneurs
and five hundred European entrepreneurs under the theme
"Translating Cooperation into Mutual Benefit." In the
morning plenary session, major themes like market access,
industrial cooperation and corporate governance will be
discussed. In the afternoon, participants will break into
small sessions focused on Consumer Market Issues, Industrial
Cooperation, and Financial Services. The ministers will
attend the first hour of the Business Summit, after which
time they will break away for a working visit to the European
aerospace company Estec in Noordwijk and an audience with
Queen Beatrix. The Business Summit will conclude with an ABN
AMRO - hosted "dragon cocktail" networking event. On the
evening of December 9, the Chinese delegation will depart for
Beijing.
RUSSEL