Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BEIJING3239
2007-05-15 03:01:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

S/CRS AMBASSADOR HERBST CONSULTATIONS IN BEIJING

Tags:  PREL KCRS CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5039
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #3239/01 1350301
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 150301Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7879
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 3970
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1701
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0670
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 003239 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2032
TAGS: PREL KCRS CH
SUBJECT: S/CRS AMBASSADOR HERBST CONSULTATIONS IN BEIJING

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Daniel L. Shields. Reasons
1.4 (b/d).

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 003239

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/15/2032
TAGS: PREL KCRS CH
SUBJECT: S/CRS AMBASSADOR HERBST CONSULTATIONS IN BEIJING

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Daniel L. Shields. Reasons
1.4 (b/d).

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


1. (C) China has the capability to be a vital
contributor and partner in global reconstruction and
stabilization (R/S) efforts, Ambassador John Herbst
told officials from the Ministries of Foreign and
Civil Affairs and representatives from Chinese think
tanks April 27-28. In the meetings, Ambassador Herbst
outlined the scope and focus of the Office of the
Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization
(S/CRS) and urged China to develop its R/S
capabilities. Emphasizing that the United States is
keen to cooperate with China in this area, Ambassador
Herbst explored the possibility of conducting a
workshop on R/S issues in Beijing in the near future.
He stressed the potential benefit of developing a
four-way grouping involving the United States, China,
Japan and the ROK that could productively cooperate in
global R/S hotspots. A roundtable of scholars at the
PLA-affiliated Foundation for International Strategic
Studies (FISS) responded favorably to the Ambassador's
presentation, although some voiced concerns about the
United States' motives. Admiral Yang Yi of the
National Defense University provided the most upbeat
assessment of S/CRS' proposals, noting that
collaborating with the United States on R/S issues is
"clearly in China's interest." Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Deputy Director General for International
Organizations Chen Xu expressed measured interest in
S/CRS efforts and promised to report Ambassador
Herbst's ideas to relevant officials. The S/CRS
delegation also had a positive meeting with the
Ministry of Civil Affairs. End Summary.

S/CRS: An Overview and an Invitation
--------------


2. (SBU) At the FISS roundtable that kicked off the
visit and at subsequent meetings, Ambassador Herbst
provided an overview of the S/CRS mission. He
described the establishment of S/CRS, outlined the
nature of its R/S efforts and stressed the importance
of international coordination in this area. Drawing a
distinction between the immediate role of humanitarian
and disaster assistance and the longer and broader

effort required to stabilize and reconstruct a failed
state or other at-risk area, Ambassador Herbst
highlighted the dangers the international community
faces in failing to address these issues. He observed
that while the United States, Canada and some European
countries are active in R/S efforts, China and the
other large economies of Northeast Asia have not yet
gotten involved in a coordinated way. Ambassador
Herbst urged China to organize its R/S capabilities,
adding that the United States and China should
continue to discuss practical ways to cooperate on
handling crises in the future. In addition, he
explored the possibility of creating a four-way R/S
framework involving the United States, China, Japan
and the ROK. He suggested that for the time being,
the four governments should aim for informal, working-
level coordination rather than pursue a larger, more
ambitious agreement.

The FISS Roundtable
--------------


3. (C) Chinese scholars participating in an April 27
roundtable at FISS, a People's Liberation Army-
affiliated think tank, reacted favorably to the
Ambassador's presentation on the whole, although
several expressed doubts about United States' motives
and methods. Among other issues, they expressed
concern that:

-- lack of a common vision and shared worldview that
might hinder real partnership in dealing with
international crises (Zhou Hong, Director of the
Institute of European Studies at the China Academy of

BEIJING 00003239 002 OF 004


Social Sciences (CASS));

-- R/S teams might receive a negative "label" by being
associated with the United States if they participate
in American-led efforts (Zhou); and

-- absent agreed rules of conduct, R/S efforts may
amount to little more than the pursuit of United
States' national interests, without taking into
account the interests of the region in question or of
the international community (Lu Dehong, FISS Deputy
Director of Research).


4. (C) Ambassador Herbst rejected these points,
noting that the United States is not proposing to lead
all R/S efforts or recruit other countries to join an
American-led group. Rather, the objective is to
encourage China to establish an R/S team with which
S/CRS could then discuss potential cooperation.
Whatever our views are on dealing with failed states
or other crises, the United Statesand China share a
number of common interests,including wanting to see
continued global economic growth and stability. We
should have a clear, easy way to discuss cooperation,
so that when a crisis occurs, we can decide what our
respective roles might usefully be.


5. (C) Despite voicing concerns, the scholars were
generally upbeat about the S/CRS mission, with Zhou of
CASS praising the United States for its recognition of
the importance of civilian power in crisis resolution.
Moreover, He Wenping, Senior Researcher at CASS'
Institute of West Asian and African Studies, said the
potential for bilateral cooperation on R/S issues is
"huge," asserting that China has already done a great
deal of productive work in this area in places such as
Darfur and Afghanistan, even if China does not
explicitly define the efforts as R/S deployments.
China has a "strong capacity" and is "quite active" in
the field of reconstruction, but is more wiling to act
under the leadership of the UN, said Huang Xiaomin of
the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In this
context, MND has worked closely with China's
Ministries of Commerce and Foreign Affairs to provide
humanitarian assistance, mostly to natural disaster
areas.


6. (C) The roundtable produced several "takeaways,"
said FISS' Zhang Tuosheng, who moderated the event.
The United States' attempt to balance civilian and
military roles in R/S operations is extremely
positive, as many Chinese believe the United States
has historically relied too much on military
solutions. In addition, S/CRS's objective of seeking
greater international cooperation, which is essential
to solving crises, is encouraging. Zhang said the
S/CRS emphasis on breaking down bureaucratic
stovepipes within the United States Government has a
particular resonance in China, where the government
suffers from a lack of interagency coordination. In
the future, Zhang concluded, he hopes China will have
an entity similar to S/CRS, in part as a way to
promote and expand China's "soft power."

Rear Admiral Yang: R/S "in China's Interest"
--------------


7. (C) At an April 27 working dinner, Rear Admiral
Yang Yi, Director of Strategic Studies at China's
National Defense University, lauded the S/CRS effort
to engage with China on these issues, noting that
expanding cooperation is "clearly in China's
interest." He urged Ambassador Herbst to provide to
the Chinese Embassy in Washington a detailed plan for
future cooperation. Yang maintained that often
proposals reach decisionmakers' desks more quickly if
they come straight from the Embassy instead of going
through standard bureaucratic channels in Beijing. In
this context, he pledged to share his positive
assessment of the S/CRS mission with his contacts in
the government. The next step, Yang suggested, would
be for S/CRS to conduct a workshop in Beijing with
relevant Chinese government agencies. In any case,

BEIJING 00003239 003 OF 004


bilateral cooperation on R/S issues must precede any
regional mechanism involving the Japanese and the
South Koreans. Such high-profile combined efforts
would likely arouse suspicions in the DPRK, Yang said.

MFA: Cautious Interest in S/CRS
--------------


8. (C) The response to Ambassador Herbst's
presentation at the MFA was measured but positive. As
China becomes more involved in R/S efforts, it needs
to learn from the "best practices" of "major players,"
said DDG Chen Xu on April 27. The MFA's traditional
structure of regional and functional bureaus does not
include a counterpart for S/CRS. As for individual
R/S projects, Chen said that while China remains a
"developing country," it will continue to do what it
can given its limited resources. But recognizing the
importance of multilateral diplomacy in China's
approach to foreign affairs, Chen assessed that the
international community is increasingly looking to
China to take on a "larger share" of global
responsibilities. China has traditionally been slow
to set up new institutions, Chen acknowledged,
relating that China's change of heart about its
initial reluctance to participate in UN peacekeeping
operations took years.


9. (C) Nonetheless, Chen said that as Chinese
interests abroad increase, the general trend will be
for more Chinese integration globally, including in
the area of emergency response, where the United
States has a better established process than China.
China has been increasing its level of humanitarian
relief for natural disasters, such as with its
response to the Southeast Asia tsunami and to the
Pakistan earthquake. This differs, however, from
S/CRS activities, which have tended to focus on "war-
torn areas," Chen remarked.


10. (C) Ambassador Herbst said S/CRS focuses on "man-
made" crises, including but not limited to armed
conflicts, rather than on natural disasters. Chen
said that in any case, China may have a different
understanding from other countries of some basic
concepts associated with R/S, such as what constitutes
a failed state in the first place. China views
stabilization as an outcome of reconstruction whereas
the United States may view stabilization as a
political process, Chen claimed.


11. (C) Ambassador Herbst stressed that countries can
play complementary roles in R/S and that it makes
sense to work together even if the sides do not agree
on every concept. Stabilization involves both
procedural and tangible elements, such as training
police forces or building roads. He offered to invite
Chen and a Chinese delegation to Washington to discuss
best practices and other ideas S/CRS is developing and
to demonstrate training procedures. Chen expressed
interest in the idea, without making a commitment. He
was also noncommittal about Chinese participation in a
possible four-way meeting on R/S issues with the
United States, the ROK and Japan. He promised to
"take stock and digest" the proposals and convey the
ideas to other relevant MFA bureaus, including North
American Affairs and Policy Planning.

Ministry of Civil Affairs
--------------


12. (C) DDG Pang of the Ministry of Civil Affairs
Department of Disaster Relief provided an overview of
his agency's operations, noting that China has
accumulated considerable experience over the years in
handling natural disasters. MCA's two main emergency
response functions involve reconstruction of buildings
and houses and provision of general assistance. While
the ministry's focus is on domestic crises, MCA
personnel traveled to Pakistan as part of China's
assistance team in the wake of the earthquake there.
Moreover, Chinese NGOs and Government-associated NGOs
(such as the China Charity Foundation) work in tandem

BEIJING 00003239 004 OF 004


with the Ministry of Commerce and the MFA to provide
aid to stricken areas around the globe.


13. (C) Within China, local governments take the lead
in disaster response, while the MCA tends to play a
coordinating role, providing assistance as necessary,
Pang continued. In addition, the MCA has developed 17
professional teams that deploy to crisis sites to
analyze the situation and collect data. Pang
responded positively to Ambassador Herbst's suggestion
that MCA officials participate in a possible future
workshop in Beijing on R/S issues. However, Chai Mei,
DDG of the MCA Foreign Affairs Office, interjected
that MCA's main function is handling domestic crises.
As such, expanding cooperation with the United States
in that area would be more appropriate than exploring
potential cross-border efforts, she said.


14. (U) S/CRS cleared this message.
RANDT