MFA VIEWS ON SHOOTING OF JAPANESE FISHERMAN, RIVER

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 018752 SIPDIS SIPDIS MOSCOW FOR VLADIVOSTOCK E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016 TAGS: PREL ENRG SENV RU JA CH SUBJECT: MFA VIEWS ON SHOOTING OF JAPANESE FISHERMAN, RIVER POLLUTION IN RUSSIAN FAR EAST REF: BEIJING 17778 CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL EXTERNAL UNIT CHIEF EDGARD KAGAN. REASONS 1.4 (B/D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: THE SHOOTING OF A JAPANESE FISHERMAN IN DISPUTED WATERS BY A RUSSIAN COASTAL PATROL BOAT REFLECTS LONG-STANDING TENSIONS, INCLUDING RUSSIAN FRUSTRATION AT THE QUALITY AND SPEED OF JAPANESE FISHING BOATS, ACCORDING TO A CHINESE DIPLOMAT EXPERIENCED IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST. THE MFA OFFICIAL TOLD US THAT SINO-RUSSIAN COOPERATION OVER THE AUGUST CHEMICAL SPILL FROM A CHINESE CHEMICAL PLANT THAT THREATENED TO POLLUTE A SIBERIAN RIVER WAS QUITE GOOD AND WAS DISCUSSED FAVORABLY DURING RUSSIAN FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MEDVEDEV'S AUGUST 29 VISIT. A RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT NOTED THAT THE ISSUE OF CROSS-BORDER POLLUTION WAS AMONG EXAMPLES USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF COORDINATING FOREIGN AFFAIRS AT A RECENT HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) CHINA OBSERVED CLOSELY THE AUGUST 16 SHOOTING DEATH OF A JAPANESE FISHERMAN BY A RUSSIAN PATROL BOAT NEAR THE DISPUTED KURILE ISLANDS, ACCORDING TO MFA EURASIAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT COUNSELOR AND DIRECTOR OF RUSSIAN AFFAIRS WU XIAOYING, WHO PREVIOUSLY SERVED AT THE PRC CONSULATE IN VLADIVOSTOCK. RUSSIAN COASTAL POLICE HAVE OFTEN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SUPERIOR QUALITY OF THE EQUIPMENT AND VESSELS USED BY JAPANESE FISHERMEN AND EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION THAT THEY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME CATCHING JAPANESE BOATS THAT CROSS INTO RUSSIAN TERRITORIAL WATERS, SHE TOLD US AUGUST 30. DESPITE HAVING NO DIRECT INTEREST IN THE INCIDENT, THE PRC OBSERVED IT CLOSELY BECAUSE CHINA SOMETIMES FACES DISPUTES OVER FISHING RIGHTS WITH RUSSIA ON THE AMUR RIVER BETWEEN SIBERIA AND CHINA'S HEILONGJIANG PROVINCE, SHE SAID. (NOTE: THE MEETING OCCURRED BEFORE THE REPORTED SEPTEMBER 1 DETENTION ON THE AMUR RIVER OF TWO RUSSIAN HYDROGRAPHERS BY CHINESE BORDER OFFICIALS. END NOTE). ¶3. (C) SEPARATELY, WU CLAIMED THAT RUSSIAN OFFICIALS EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION FOR CHINESE EFFORTS TO CONTAIN POLLUTION ON A TRIBUTARY OF THE SONGHUA RIVER AUGUST 20. UNLIKE THE DECEMBER 2005 BENZENE SPILL INTO THE SONGHUA RIVER THAT FLOWED INTO RUSSIA'S AMUR RIVER AND INTERFERED WITH DRINKING WATER, CHINA MOVED QUICKLY TO CONTROL THE POLLUTION BEFORE IT SPREAD TO THE SONGHUA AND THREATENED RUSSIAN CITIZENS, WU SAID. ¶4. (C) THE SPILL WAS DISCUSSED DURING RUSSIAN FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER DIMITRI MEDVEDEV'S AUGUST 29 MEETING WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER WU YI, ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN EMBASSY SECOND SECRETARY DENIS AGAFONOV, WHO NOTED THAT THE VISITS FOCUS WAS ON CULTURAL EXCHANGES RELATED TO THE 2006 YEAR OF RUSSIA IN CHINA AND THE 2007 YEAR OF CHINA IN RUSSIA. WHILE EXPRESSING CONCERN FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SIBERIA, THE RUSSIANS SHOWED "UNDERSTANDING" FOR CHINA'S EFFORTS TO STOP THE POLLUTION AND CHINESE LEADERS PLEDGED THAT SUCH INCIDENTS WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, MFA'S WU SAID. ¶5. (C) THE IMPACT OF POLLUTION ON CHINESE FOREIGN POLICY WAS AMONG THE TOPICS DISCUSSED AT AN AUGUST 21 MINISTERIAL-LEVEL FOREIGN AFFAIRS WORK CONFERENCE, ACCORDING TO AGAFONOV (REFTEL). THE POLLUTION INCIDENTS AFFECTING THE SONGHUA RIVER WERE AMONG SPECIFIC EXAMPLES USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE NEED FOR CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS ENTITIES OUTSIDE OF THE MFA TO HARMONIZE THEIR ACTIVITIES AFFECTING CHINESE FOREIGN POLICY, HE SAID. RANDT