PRC/AFRICA: BEIJING DECKS ITSELF OUT TO WELCOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 023169

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE PLEASE PASS AF, EAP/CM AND INR (GILLES)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2031
TAGS: PGOV PREL AGOA ECON EAID CH
SUBJECT: PRC/AFRICA: BEIJING DECKS ITSELF OUT TO WELCOME
AFRICAN LEADERS

REF: A. BEIJING 22370


B. BEIJING 22919

Classified By: Acting Political Section Internal Unit Chief Chris Klein
. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Beijing is rolling out a dramatic welcome for
participants in the November 3-5 Forum on China Africa
Cooperation (FOCAC). Bright billboards, signs and
installations with an African flavor festoon the
city's main street. Authorities have beefed up
security and will enforce special rules limiting
vehicle traffic in the capital during the event. The
media has given major play to the summit, although the
Propaganda Department has issued strict guidelines
banning reporting on China's energy interests in
Africa, our contacts told us. This has left the
editorial window open for little more than puff
pieces. Nonetheless, Africa has been a hot topic in
Internet chat rooms in recent days. End Summary.

"Myth and Miracles"
--------------


2. (U) Colorful signs and installations touting the
forum have proliferated around town over the past week
with red silk lanterns, banners, flags, billboards and
corporate-style displays appearing along major
thoroughfares and at hotels and shopping centers.
Much of the signage, depicting Africa's natural beauty
and wildlife, comes with upbeat messages about China-
Africa ties. One seemingly omnipresent billboard
shows tribesmen and wild game above the caption
"friendship, peace, cooperation and development," in
English, French and Chinese. Another popular sign
reads, "Africa: Land of Myth and Miracles." The
pedestrian walkway at Wangfujing, a crowded centrally-
located shopping venue, is lined with brightly colored
photographic displays of every African country,
complete with basic facts such as the name of the
capital city, the population and the national
language. At either end of Wangfujing, corporate-
event style displays of African scenes have been
erected. School dance troupes decked out in
traditional Chinese costumes perform African dances
with Chinese characteristics, which mostly appear to
involve beating madly on Chinese drum sets.

Security Tight
--------------


3. (U) In an apparent practice run for the Olympics,
the PRC and Beijing's Municipal Government have
visibly tightened security for the summit, installing
metal detectors in the lobbies of and increasing
police presence at every major Beijing hotel hosting
African delegations. Civilian volunteers mobilized to
provide additional neighborhood security are visible
in downtown crowds, although not in great numbers.
Xinhua reported that 810,000 such volunteers have been
deployed. The volunteers sport red armbands, which
some Chinese netizens have cited as reminiscent of Red
Guards during the Cultural Revolution.

Positive Press Play ...
--------------


4. (C) The press has been filled with articles with
such titles as "Why are we cheering on our African
brothers in such a way?" and its complement, "Why are
our African brothers so supportive?" Some
commentators have also employed the term "African
buddies," using a popular Beijing slang expression, to
describe people from the continent. Africa-related
articles have been largely upbeat, focusing on the
mutual benefits of Sino-Africa cooperation while
refuting perceived Western criticisms. In particular,
articles have taken pains to reject any suggestion
that China's involvement in Africa smacks of neo-
Colonialism or opportunism. Newspapers, including the
Beijing Youth Daily and The Beijing News, have run
special segments or are dedicating extra coverage to
FOCAC. Andy Zhang, a reporter from the Beijing Daily,
said his newspaper would attempt to interview two

BEIJING 00023169 002 OF 002


African Ambassadors per day during the summit.
Positive statements from African officials about China
have received major play in the media.

... Has Not Been Left to Chance
--------------


5. (C) The Propaganda Department has issued strict
guidelines to the media about how to handle the
Beijing Summit. During the dates surrounding the
event, media outlets are prohibited from reporting on
energy issues related to Africa or on Chinese
investment in specific countries on the continent,
said Zhou Qing'an (protect),a regular contributor of
commentary on international relations to the Beijing
News. China's energy and investment strategies are
topics that could cast China's Africa involvement in
an unflattering light. Zhou acknowledged that such
limitations leave little else of substance that is
worth writing about. Nonetheless, Zhou wrote a column
for the Southern Metropolitan Daily advocating
increased environmental protection cooperation. "It
was the best I could do given the rules," he said.


6. (C) Victor Yuan (protect),president of the
Horizon polling company and a longtime Embassy
contact, remarked that his recent informal research
about Chinese attitudes toward Africa are positive but
fairly superficial. Individuals who remember the Mao
era associate Africans (and Latin Americans and
certain other Asians) with China's efforts to be a
"beacon and advocate to the third world," Yuan said.
In addition, everyone knew about apartheid in South
Africa, he said. As such, a reservoir of goodwill
exists. But average Chinese know little about current
conditions in Africa (Zhang of the Beijing Daily
separately agreed). China's interest in Africa's
energy and natural resources do not influence
perceptions, Yuan observed. In fact, most are
ignorant of these concerns. He said he recently
conducted a survey asking Chinese people where they
think the bulk of China's energy resources come from.
Africa did not figure among the top responses. Most
said Russia, Yuan related, even though China's oil
supplies largely come from the Middle East. As for
the summit, Yuan said most Beijing citizens he has
spoken with are more concerned about the potential for
traffic snarls than with larger geopolitical matters.

Internet Buzz
--------------


7. (C) Nonetheless, Africa has been a hot topic in
Internet forums, with many posts commenting on the
political aspects of Sino-African relations (Ref B).
Some netizens have maintained that China must never
forget that African countries supported the PRC's bid
to obtain a permanent seat on the United Nations
Security Council. Others recalled PRC efforts to
torpedo the G-4 UNSCR reform proposal that could have
resulted in a permanent seat on the Council for an
African country (and possibly Japan). One post urged
China to strengthen relations with Africa in order to
oppose the United States, Europe and Japan. Despite
the generally positive views on the forum, a few
netizens have questioned why China pours so much money
and effort into support for Africa when China's own
students need greater financial assistance. Another
post questioned why China should support African
countries that are corrupt, because China's largesse
may not flow to its intended beneficiaries.
Randt