QUASI-OFFICIAL PRC MAGAZINE ALLEGES U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 002786

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2031
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR PREL HK CH
SUBJECT: QUASI-OFFICIAL PRC MAGAZINE ALLEGES U.S.
"INTERFERENCE" IN HONG KONG AFFAIRS

REF: A. CCP20060607515035

B. CCP20060609702005

C. CCP20060615715037

D. CCP20060615715001

E. CCP20060616715021

F. CCP20060614715024

G. CCP20060608515023

Classified By: E/P Chief Simon Schuchat. Reasons: 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) Since the 1997 handover, the PRC Government has
conveyed its displeasure with U.S. policy towards Hong Kong
through two primary channels -- formal demarches in Hong Kong
and/or in Beijing, and/or the pro-Beijing local media --
often alleging U.S. "interference" in China's "internal
affairs." Since the massive July 1, 2003 pro-democracy
march, there has been a steady escalation of attacks in the
press on U.S. Government motives in Hong Kong. The latest
round of allegations appeared in the June 2006 issue of
"Bauhinia," a PRC-owned magazine which is presumably read by
Hong Kong and PRC opinion leaders interested in the
territory's affairs (Ref A-F). In contrast to previous
iterations in the media, the six articles and fourteen pages
of text in the "Bauhinia" present a meticulously researched
and relatively sophisticated analysis of U.S. policy towards
Hong Kong. The articles help establish a baseline of PRC
Government understanding of U.S. stakes in Hong Kong, and
draw conclusions about U.S. strategies and motives. It is
clear, as well, that mainland officials continue to closely
monitor U.S. Consulate statements, Congressional reports on
Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Policy Act.


2. (C) While each of the six articles focuses on different
aspects of U.S. policy towards Hong Kong, one common theme is
the allegation that the U.S. is "interfering" in Hong Kong
politics. Specifically, the articles accuse the U.S. of
fanning the peoples' dissatisfaction with Article 23 national
security legislation and the slow pace of democratization.
The magazine also presents an assortment of theories to
explain U.S. motives for "interfering," including suggestions
that the U.S. wants to dominate politics in Hong Kong because
it is becoming "the only corner in China that can challenge
the Communist Party government" or that Hong Kong is a
"critical link" in the U.S. administration's goal to
implement "global democracy."


3. (C) According to our contacts, the two primary objectives
of these critiques, published in this quasi-official, low
circulation magazine, are to: 1) publicly circulate a
comprehensive list of examples of recent U.S. "interference"
in Hong Kong affairs (most of which are falsely presented as
fact and not as allegations); and 2) encourage the
pro-Beijing community in Hong Kong to disseminate or repeat,
when appropriate, these charges of U.S. "interference." With
the political atmosphere in Hong Kong heating up in
anticipation of the December Chief Executive (CE) Election
Committee elections and next year's CE election, stock
phrases and theories presented in the "Bauhinia" articles may
be repeated in the media by pro-PRC individuals to tarnish
pro-democracy advocates as "under foreign influences."


4. (C) After the publication of "Bauhinia" last month, the
allegations of U.S. "interference" were initially picked up
by the press in a low-key manner. The pro-PRC "Wen Wei Po"
was the only newspaper to publish an excerpt of one of the
"Bauhinia" pieces on June 2 (Ref G). However, in the
aftermath of former Chief Secretary Anson Chan's June 24
announcement that she would participate in the July 1 march,
accusations of "foreign interference" have already been
lobbed at Chan; on June 29, the "Hong Kong Economic Times"
published speculation that "foreign forces" had backed Chan's
decision to join the democracy march. Also on June 29, two
pro-PRC newspapers alleged shadowy motives to the U.S. The
"Wen Wei Po" reported that in response to Chan's call for
people to participate in the July 1 march, tycoon Stanley Ho
said, "What the U.S. wants to see most is the failure of 'One
Country, Two Systems.'" And in what many Hong Kong readers
would take as a veiled attack on the U.S. Consulate, the "Ta
Kung Pao" wrote, "One unnamed foreign consulate doubled the
number of its staff after the 1997 handover, and it would not
have done this without reason."
Cunningham