GLOBAL INITIATIVE: CHINESE QUESTIONS ON EXPANSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 002484 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR T - KATSAPIS AND ISN E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2017 TAGS: PREL KGIC MCAP PTER KJUS RS CH SUBJECT: GLOBAL INITIATIVE: CHINESE QUESTIONS ON EXPANSION PROCESS REF: BEIJING 2152 Classified By: DCM David S. Sedney. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) MFA Arms Control Department Deputy Director Zhang Junan called in poloff and Russian Embassy poloff April 13 to raise questions about the process for expansion and admission of new members in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (the Initiative). China agrees that the most important criterion for joining the Initiative is signing on to its Statement of Principles. But at the second Initiative meeting in Morocco, other criteria for membership were discussed, including whether an Initiative member is under UNSC sanctions or supports any form of terrorism. China would like to know if the process for admission of new members could be clarified or improved, Zhang said. ¶2. (C) In particular, China wants to know the status of newly admitted members (reftel) with respect to participation in the Initiative's third meeting in Kazakhstan in June. Zhang asked whether there would be some formal ceremony or process for admitting new members at the Kazakhstan meeting and whether there would be an opportunity to discuss the admission of the new members, before their joining the Initiative becomes a fait accompli. China does not wish to single out any member or raise any concerns about the Initiative, Zhang said, but he informally noted that Israel's participation raised political questions for Beijing. ¶3. (SBU) Russian poloff took advantage of the meeting to notify China that Cambodia had formally joined the Initiative. Poloff also conveyed to Zhang further details about the Initiative's June 11-15 FBI-sponsored training in Miami. RANDT