PRC UNDERLINES URGENCY OF CONCERNS ABOUT HAITI,

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000410 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017 TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO CH HA TA SUBJECT: PRC UNDERLINES URGENCY OF CONCERNS ABOUT HAITI, MINUSTAH REF: A) BEIJING 371 (NOTAL) B) STATE 5979 (NOTAL) C) USUN NEW YORK 32 (NOTAL) Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Daniel Shields. Reasons 1. 4 (b/d) ¶1. (C) China feels a strong sense of urgency regarding its concerns about Haiti and the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH),MFA International Organizations Deputy Director General Chen Xu stressed to Polmincouns on the evening of January 17 follow a conversation on an unrelated subject. President Preval promised early last year that Haiti would not harm China's interests, but in September Haiti spoke on Taiwan's behalf at the UN. Beijing has no room for flexibility on the issue and cannot let the matter go. Haiti did something wrong, so China needs an apology and assurances in writing that it will not happen again. Many countries are interested in the situation in Haiti and the future of MINUSTAH. The Security Council will discuss the matter soon. Noting the January 16 comments (Ref A) by MFA International Organizations Director General Wu Hailong, Chen said China will not establish a linkage betwee its concerns about Haiti and Taiwan and the issue of the future of MINUSTAH, but he added that "in our minds there is a linkage." This could turn out like the Macedonia issue, he said. Note: Chen was referring to China's 1999 veto of the extension of the mandate of the UN Preventive Deployment (UNPREDEP) Force along Macedonia's borders after Macedonia established ties with Taipei. End Note. ¶2. (C) Polmincouns stressed the importance of MINUSTAH's stabilization mission and urged the PRC to provide the support necessary for the continuation and completion of the mission. China should make its decisions about MINUSTAH based on the needs of the mission and the safety of MINUSTAH personnel, not based on other factors of a political nature, he stressed. RANDT