GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING POTENTIAL EXPORT OF

S E C R E T BERLIN 001453 SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN, EUR/AGS, AND EAP/CM SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2017 TAGS: MNUC ETTC MTCRE PARM TNGD GM CH SUBJECT: GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING POTENTIAL EXPORT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE IMAGER TO CHINA Classified By: Acting Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Douglas B . Neumann, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action item -- please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (S) German MFA Export Control Division Desk Officer Volker Herzog met Global Affairs officer July 23 and passed the following German-language non-paper. Herzog explained that German export control authorities sought USG input for an application from a German exporter to ship a system for measuring laser-induced incandescence (LII) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) to the Thermal Engineering Department of Tsinghua University in China. As Herzog noted, German authorities are concerned about the possibility of this item being diverted to support nuclear weapons research. The German authorities observed that the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control cited Tsinghua University for its nuclear and ballistic missile research in its publication, the Risk Report. Nevertheless, despite these reservations, the German authorities understand that Tsinghua University received a high-performance camera from the U.S. firm Roper Scientific, Inc., in early 2007, prompting them to query the USG about the advisability of allowing the export of the LII- and PLIF-measurement system, Herzog said. The German authorities would welcome a USG response no later than August ¶7. ¶3. (S) Begin unofficial Embassy translation of the text of the German-language non-paper: Allow us to bring the following information to the attention of U.S. authorities: -- German export control authorities are currently evaluating the export application for an LII- and PLIF-measurement system, which is intended for the Thermal Engineering Department of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. -- Tsinghua University was named in Volume 6, Number 4 and Number 5, of the Risk Report for basic research in the nuclear field as well as research for rocket booster research. -- Supposedly the Thermal Engineering Department of Tsinghua University has an image intensifying high-performance PI-Max2:1003 camera from Roper Princeton. The delivery supposedly took place about six months ago. -- For the further evaluation of this pending application, we would be very grateful if the U.S. authorities could check and inform us whether such a high-performance camera should be approved for export to this end user and what the estimation is of the risk of misuse of such an item by the recipient. We look forward to our continuing outstanding cooperation in the area of export controls. End text. ¶4. (U) Post requests response to the German query by the requested deadline. TIMKEN JR