CHINA UNLIKELY TO CO-CHAIR ARF 1540 SEMINAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 018217

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP, EAP/RSP, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM CH
SUBJECT: CHINA UNLIKELY TO CO-CHAIR ARF 1540 SEMINAR

REF: STATE 135735

Classified By: Political External Unit Chief Edgard
Kagan. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: China is unlikely to co-host an ASEAN
Regional Forum Seminar on USNCR 1540 Implementation
with us according to MFA Asian Affairs Department
official Ma Jia. Lack of funding prevents China from
co-hosting, Ma said, but she suggested that the United
States might be able to reclama that decision during
EAP Assistant Secretary Hill's upcoming visit.
Separately, Singapore Embassy contacts told us that
MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department officials
had raised objections to China's co-hosting the
seminar as a way of showing their displeasure about
U.S. nonproliferation sanctions of Chinese companies.
End Summary.


2. (C) China is unlikely to be able to co-host the
proposed ASEAN Regional Forum Seminar on USNCR 1540
Implementation, MFA Asian Affairs Department Regional
Security Division Director Ma Jia told Poloff August

29. Responding to reftel points, Ma said China would
like to co-host such a seminar but ran short of
funding this year and had to withdraw to offer of co-
hosting the seminar.


3. (C) Should the United States seek to reclama this
decision, Ma suggested that EAP A/S Hill might raise
the issue during upcoming meetings with AFM Cui
Tiankai. She noted that Cui has just taken over
responsibility for Asian Affairs from VFM Wu Dawei
(whom A/S Hill wrote to on the issue in June) and Ma
said Wu will likely soon retire from day-to-day
responsibilities at the MFA. (Note: Ma worked for Wu
both that the PRC Embassy in Tokyo in the 1990s and in
the Korean Peninsula Affairs office until earlier this
year. End Note.)


4. (C) Singapore Embassy Political Officer Patrick
Lim told us separately on August 18 that China's
refusal to co-host the seminar was a result of
opposition from both the Finance as well as the Arms
Control and Disarmament Departments of the MFA, with
Arms Control and Disarmament Department officials
being unhappy over the U.S. imposition of sanctions
against PRC firms. Ma had told the Singaporeans of
this issue in early August, Lim said. When Poloff
asked directly whether U.S. non-proliferation
sanctions were an issue in China's sponsorship
decision, Ma would not be drawn and urged us to raise
any such concerns directly to our Arms Control and
Disarmament Department counterparts.

SEDNEY