CHINA AND RUSSIA MAKING THEIR PITCH TO EAST INDIA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000056

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ETRD PGOV EINV RS CH IN
SUBJECT: CHINA AND RUSSIA MAKING THEIR PITCH TO EAST INDIA


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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: DEMONSTRATING GREATER CHINESE EFFORT AT
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN EAST INDIA, ON FEBRUARY 12, FOREIGN MINISTER
LI XHAOXING TRAVELED TO BIHAR TO INAUGURATE A NEW MEMORIAL HALL
AT THE HISTORIC SITE OF THE ANCIENT NALANDA UNIVERSITY. A WEEK
EARLIER, CHINA'S AMBASSADOR TO INDIA USED THE OPENING OF A PHOTO
EXHIBIT ON TIBET TO ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A NEW CHINESE CONSULATE
IN KOLKATA IN 2007 AND HIGHLIGHTED A NUMBER OF CULTURAL PROGRAMS
PLANNED FOR THE EASTERN REGION. THE RUSSIAN'S TOO ARE SHOWING
MORE INTEREST IN PUBLICIZING THEIR "STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP" WITH
INDIA. ON JANUARY 31, THE RUSSIAN CONSUL GENERAL IN KOLKATA
HELD A LUNCHEON MEETING, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN RECENT MEMORY,
TO SPEAK ON THE RESULTS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S
JANUARY VISIT TO INDIA. FOLLOWING THE PREVIOUS VISITS OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE LEADERS TO NEW DELHI, THIS INCREASE IN PUBLIC
OUTREACH APPARENTLY REFLECTS A GREATER EFFORT BY BOTH CHINA AND
RUSSIA TO ENGAGE WITH INDIA BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE DELHI
DIPLOMATIC CIRCUIT. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) ON FEBRUARY 12, CHINESE FM LI XHAOXING INAUGURATED A
NEWLY RENOVATED XUANZANG (HIEUN TSANG) MEMORIAL HALL AT NALANDA
UNIVERSITY. NALANDA IS THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT BUDDHIST
UNIVERSITY, WHICH THE CHINESE MONK XUANZANG VISITED 1,300 YEARS
AGO. AN ADDED ATTRACTION IN SUPPORTING THE UNIVERSITY IS THAT
NALANDA IS IN BIHAR STATE CHIEF MINISTER NITISH KUMAR'S
CONSTITUENCY AND THE CM HAS BEEN SEEKING TO REVIVE IT AS A NEW,
MODERN INSTITUTION. TRAVELING WITH THE FM WAS A 110-MEMBER
DELEGATION, INCLUDING CHINESE BUDDHIST MONKS WHO RECITED PRAYERS
DURING THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY. KUMAR HAS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED
COMMITMENTS OF SUPPORT FROM THE SINGAPORE AND JAPANESE
GOVERNMENTS AND WAS HOPING ADDITIONAL CHINESE FUNDING WOULD MAKE
NALANDA AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY CENTER.


3. (SBU) EARLIER, ON FEBRUARY 6, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO INDIA
SUN YUXI VISITED KOLKATA TO INAUGURATE A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT ON
TIBET. STANDING WITH WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER BUDDHADEB
BHATTACHARJEE, SUN ANNOUNCED THAT AS AGREED DURING PRESIDENT HU
JINTAO'S NOVEMBER 2006 VISIT TO INDIA, INDIA AND CHINA WILL OPEN
NEW CONSULATES ON A RECIPROCAL BASIS IN GUANGZHOU AND KOLKATA.
THE NEW CHINESE CONSULATE WILL START OPERATION IN 2007 AND
INITIALLY WILL BE RUN OUT OF A HOTEL UNTIL SUITABLE OFFICE SPACE
CAN BE FOUND. SUN SAID THAT FINANCING WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND THAT
HE WAS MEETING MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (MEA) OFFICIALS TO
FINALIZE DETAILS.


4. (U) THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION, "PRESENTING AUDIENCE REAL
SITUATION OF TIBET (SIC)" WAS PART OF A SERIES OF CULTURAL
EVENTS THAT THE CHINESE HAVE PLANNED FOR EASTERN INDIA. THE
EXHIBITION INCLUDED 296 PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY 100 PHOTOGRAPHERS
FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WHO TRAVELED 3,000 MILES THROUGH TIBET
AND THE SHENZHEN AUTONOMOUS REGIONS BETWEEN JUNE 25 AND JULY 10,

2006. THE PHOTOGRAPHERS TOOK AROUND 15,000 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT
SHOWCASED THE LANDSCAPES, PEOPLE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TIBET.
THE PROJECT WAS SPONSORED BY THE INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE
CHINESE STATE COUNCIL.


5. (SBU) ANOTHER PLANNED EVENT FOR LATER IN 2007 IS A MOTOR
RALLY FROM KOLKATA TO KUNMING IN CHINA'S SOUTHWEST YUNAN
PROVINCE. THE RALLY WILL USE THE STILWELL ROAD (BUILT BY THE
U.S. ARMY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR) THAT CONNECTS THE CITY OF
LEDO IN ASSAM TO KUNMING VIA BURMA. SUN SAID HIS GOVERNMENT WAS
WORKING TO REVIVE THE ROAD AND ADDED THAT THE RALLY WILL
ESTABLISH THE SECOND ROAD CONNECTION BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA,
FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE NATHU LA PASS IN 2006. (NOTE:
NATHU LA PASS BETWEEN SIKKIM AND TIBET HAS SEEN ONLY LIMITED
LOCAL TRADE AS THE GOI HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO FULLY OPEN THE
BORDER, BECAUSE OF SECURITY CONCERNS AND FEAR OF BEING SWAMPED
BY INEXPENSIVE CHINESE CONSUMER PRODUCTS. END NOTE.)


6. (SBU) WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER BHATTACHARJEE EXPRESSED
SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY INDIA-CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS WERE
EVOLVING. AS AN OLD COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) (CPM)
STALWART, A PARTY THAT FAVORED CHINA -- RESULTING IN THE SPLIT
WITH THE RUSSIA-LEANING CPI, BHATTACHARJEE WAXED NOSTALGIC OF
THE EARLY DAYS OF BONHOMIE BETWEEN INDIAN PRIME MINISTER
JHAWARLAL NEHRU AND CHINESE PREMIERE ZHOU EN LAI, AND OF
PANCHSHEEL AND THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT. HE CONCEDED VAGUELY,
"IN THE EARLY `60S, WE HAD A FEW UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS. BUT
THOSE DAYS ARE OVER AND I AM VERY HAPPY AT THE DIRECTION
INDIA-CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS IS TAKING." REFERRING TO

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INDIA'S "LOOK EAST POLICY," THE CM FURTHER REMARKED THAT HE HAS
URGED PRIME MINISTER SINGH TO FORGE A BEIJING-NEW DELHI AXIS.
"THE U.S. WANTS A UNIPOLAR WORLD. BUT WE CANNOT LET THAT
HAPPEN," HE SAID.


7. (SBU) THE RUSSIANS ARE SHOWING MORE INTEREST IN PROMOTING
THEIR MESSAGE OF THE INDO-RUSSIAN "STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP" AS
WELL. ON JANUARY 31, RUSSIAN CONSUL GENERAL VLADIMIR LAZAREV
HOSTED A LUNCHEON FOR LOCAL DIPLOMATS, BUSINESS PEOPLE AND
OFFICIALS TO HIGHLIGHT THE RESULTS OF PRESIDENT PUTIN'S JANUARY
VISIT TO INDIAN. LAZAREV COMMENTED THAT ASIDE FROM THE HISTORIC
MILITARY LINKS, RUSSIA WAS VERY INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING THE
COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIP, NOTING THAT EVEN IN EAST INDIA THERE
HAVE BEEN DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS A NEW URAL TRUCK FACTORY AND WORK
ON A POWER STATION IN BIHAR. LAZAREV'S EVENT WAS UNPRECEDENTED
AS RUSSIAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY HAS BEEN SOLEMNENT IN RECENT YEARS.
THE RUSSIAN CONSULATE'S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OFFICE UNTIL JUST A
WEEK AGO HAD BEEN DISPLAYING ON ITS STREET SIDE DISPLAY BOARDS,
OLD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS OF SOVIET VICTORIES IN WORLD WAR II
AND HAPPY PEASANTS WORKING ON 1950`S FARM COLLECTIVES. THOSE
PHOTOS HAVE NOW BEEN REPLACED BY BRIGHT COLOR SHOTS OF PRESIDENT
PUTIN WITH INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH.


8. (SBU) COMMENT: THE RECENT STATE VISITS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADIMIR PUTIN AND CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO AND THE INCREASED
ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIA BY CHINA AND RUSSIA APPEARS TO BE
FILTERING DOWN TO THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL IN EAST INDIA. THE
EFFORT AT OUTREACH IN STATES LIKE BIHAR AND WEST BENGAL, AREAS
OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN THE DISCUSSION OF A RISING INDIA,
DEMONSTRATES A BROADER FOCUS THAN ON THE WELL-TROD DIPLOMATIC
CIRCUIT OF NEW DELHI. CHINA CLEARLY HAS A STRONG STRATEGIC
INTEREST IN CREATING A PRESENCE IN THE EAST, WHERE IT SHARES
MUCH OF ITS BORDER WITH INDIA. RUSSIA, IN TURN, APPARENTLY
RECOGNIZES IT MUST DO MORE THAN COMPLACENTLY RELY ON RESIDUAL
COLD WAR-ERA SYMPATHIES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE A STRONGER IMAGE IN
INDIA.
JARDINE