THAI TEA WITH THE CHINESE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 003608 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2016 TAGS: PREL TH CH IS SUBJECT: THAI TEA WITH THE CHINESE Classified By: Political Counselor Susan M. Sutton, Reason 1.4 (B, D) PRC-ASEAN RELATIONS -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Poloffs shared tea with Chinese diplomats on June 14, 2006 as part of a regular informal meeting mechanism that post has with the PRC Embassy in Bangkok. The Chinese asked about the 19th US-ASEAN Dialogue that took place on May 23, 2006 and talked about their own preparations for the PRC-ASEAN 15th Anniversary celebrations to take place in China's Guanxi Province in October with ASEAN plus 1. That meeting will focus on past PRC-ASEAN cooperation and the over twenty areas of cooperation China currently has with ASEAN partners. Chinese diplomats stated that there is a mutually-shared belief between China and ASEAN that, as a developing nation itself, China can share a vast array of developmental experiences from which the ASEAN nations can learn and benefit. EAST ASIA SUMMIT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The Chinese inquired about our position on the East Asia Summit (EAS) and reiterated that Beijing welcomes the U.S. to join. They said China view EAS as an open forum to discuss a number of issues that cannot be effectively addressed in APEC. OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKING TOGETHER? -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Chinese asked whether Washington was open to exploring projects ripe for US-PRC cooperation in Southeast Asia. Areas such as diaster-response relief and avian-influenza prevention were mentioned as areas ripe for cooperation and useful as confidence-building measures between the two nations. CHINA ON HAMMAS -------------- ¶4. (C) Chinese Poloff Wang Shuai told Poloffs on the margins of the meeting that PRC officials agree with the U.S. call to urge Hammas to change its policy calling for the destruction of Israel. He suggested that Beijing would raise this point with the Palestinians in upcoming meetings. ARVIZU