CO-SPONSORHIP OF ARF INTERSESSIONAL SIGNALS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001886 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/RSP (SHEIVES),EAP/CM AND ISN/RA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017 TAGS: PREL KNNP ARF APEC CH SUBJECT: CO-SPONSORHIP OF ARF INTERSESSIONAL SIGNALS BEIJING'S DESIRE TO TALK SECURITY IN ARF, NOT APEC REF: A. STATE 33907 ¶B. BEIJING 1314 Classified By: Daniel Shields, Political Minister Counselor. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) China's agreement to co-sponsor with the United States an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Intersessional Meeting (ISM) on Nonproliferation exemplifies China's desire to increase its emphasis on security cooperation through ARF, rather than APEC, MFA Asia Department Regional Security Division Deputy Director He Xiangqi told poloff in response to ref A demarche. China supports the United States' call for an ISM and will advise promptly of any objection to the proposed Working Groups, about which she had some questions. China's new MFA Asia Department DDG for Multilateral Affairs would like to have an informal discussion with the United States' head of delegation on the margins of the March 28 Support Group meeting in Helsinki to learn details about the United States' future plans for ARF. End Summary. ¶2. (C) China is pleased that the United States is conducting outreach to ARF members to build consensus on the proposal to hold a regular nonproliferation ISM within ARF, MFA Asia Department Regional Security Division Deputy Director He Xiangqi told poloff March 20 in response to ref A demarche. As noted ref B, China will co-sponsor the ARF ISM and a proposed statement on UNSCR 1540 Implementation, she said. Poloff asked for China's support and advocacy in favor of the intersessional working groups identified ref A. Ms. He asked whether the three proposed working groups would all cover nonproliferation, or whether the United States was proposing one working group for each of the three intersessional topics that would exist within ARF. ¶3. (C) Building on points made ref B, He emphasized that China's interest in focusing on more security cooperation with ARF is the result of a strategic decision that China would prefer Asia-Pacific security themes be discussed in ARF and not in APEC. Beijing has some problem with discussing security issues in APEC because of Taiwan's membership in APEC, He stated. But Beijing values Asia-Pacific security cooperation, especially cooperation that includes the United States. These were significant factors behind China's decision to co-sponsor the United States' initiative for a non-proliferation ISM, she said. New DDG Would Like Informal Bilat In Helsinki -------------- ¶4. (C) China's lead official for ARF, newly arrived MFA Asia Department Deputy Director General Yang Yanyi, would like to have an informal discussion with the United States' head of delegation on the margins of the March 28 ARF Intersessional Support Group meeting in Helsinki, He noted. China would like to hear more from the United States about American thinking on the formation of Working Groups and plans for security cooperation in ARF and the Asia-Pacific region in general. ¶5. (C) Bio Note: DDG Yang took up her post in March after returning from Brunei, where she served as China's Ambassador. She previously served in China's Asia Department Multilateral Security Affairs Division in the mid-1990s and is familiar with ARF, He said. RANDT