CHINESE HIGH OFFICIAL VISITS: POPULAR WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARAMARIBO 000165 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR MATTHEW BUFFINGTON AND LAURA LUFTIG; INR FOR ROBERT CARHART E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV NS CH ECON SUBJECT: CHINESE HIGH OFFICIAL VISITS: POPULAR WITH PRESIDENT AND HIS COALITION REF: A. 2006 SECSTATE 70035 ¶B. 2007 QUITO 719 ¶C. 2006 PARAMARIBO 698 ¶D. 2006 PARAMARIBO 305 ¶E. 2006 PARAMARIBO 683 ¶F. 2007 PARAMARIBO 133 ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Li Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, arrived in Suriname on March 27 for a two-day visit. In a striking display of warm relations by the government of Suriname (GOS),Li was met by Vice President Ramdien Sardjoe, received by President Ronald Venetiaan and many of Suriname,s Ministers, and feted at a GOS-sponsored dinner. During the visit, Suriname and China signed a grant agreement for U.S. $2.4 million in unspecified development aid. Venetiaan and his party, the National Party of Suriname (NPS),have repeatedly stated their support for a "one China policy," as have other coalition parties, and China may be using Suriname as its point-man to build further consensus in the Caribbean on this issue. The GOS edges ever closer to the Chinese, though public distrust and disapproval is common. END SUMMARY -------------- Warm Relations -------------- ¶2. (C) After the signing ceremony Li, the highest level Chinese official ever to visit Suriname, expressed satisfaction with the growth of bilateral ties, and called for the expansion of those ties based on the principles of equality, mutual support, and a common future. President Venetiaan stated that the long-standing relationship between the two countries has been filled with encouraging developments, and he reiterated his government's adherence to the "one China policy," which he and his allies have been trotting out at every opportunity. As recently as the Chinese New Year in February, Venetiaan accompanied Chinese Ambassador Su Ge about town, preaching warm relations and touting the one-China policy. The Head of the Americas Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Terence Craig, raised the one-China policy with PolOff in March while talking about an unrelated matter, saying that Suriname is frustrated by unnamed "eastern Caribbean states" who are blocking Caricom from adopting a coherent China policy. Meanwhile, the Suriname-Taiwan Friendship Foundation published large ads in the paper on the day of Li's visit, advertising thirteen showings across five television channels of the film, "Taiwan, Where Mountains Meet the Sea." -------------- Money Talks--and the GOS listens -------------- ¶3. (C) Suriname has profited often from China,s generosity. In December 2005 Suriname received a grant of U.S. $2.5 million for technical assistance; China also gave Suriname a new Ministry building. The headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, completed in 2006, was financed by a U.S. $5 million grant and built by Chinese laborers. Moreover, in January 2006 China and the GOS signed an agreement to finance the construction of 200 low-cost houses. This project was estimated to cost approximately a half million dollars, and will be funded by a combination of outright grants and loans with favorable terms. The Chinese company Dalian is very active in road building in Suriname. Some Ministries reportedly prefer to work with the Chinese in order to receive what is perceived as complications-free cash-flow, while others worry about the long-term effects (and political liabilities) of such hasty deals (ref C). The Chinese, meanwhile, have their eyes on Suriname,s rich natural resources, particularly wood (ref D). -------------- Growing Chinese Export: Labor -------------- ¶4. (C) The links with China have several downsides, one of which involves immigration. Unofficial sources report that large groups of Chinese enter the country via the Western border with Guyana and receive drivers, licenses, official documents, and employment upon arrival through semi-legal or illegal channels. Unable to repay their debts, they are defacto indentured labor, bonded to the organizations that brought them to Suriname. Suriname is a transit country for trafficking in persons (ref E). Meanwhile, the number of Chinese-run convenience stores and restaurants has visibly increased, leading to public distrust and press vitriol (Post will elaborate in septel). ¶5. (C) COMMENT: Official Surinamese gushing over Li and his several-dozen-strong entourage was unusually solicitous; the GOS does not make a habit of springing for dinner for foreign politicians; GOS hospitality, even for VIP visitors is usually low key, and the GOS voice on international issues is usually muted to say the least (ref F). However, the central pillar of Surinamese foreign policy may well be opportunism, and the generous Chinese continue to present a splendid funding opportunity to Venetiaan and his beleaguered coalition. If Venetiaan and his NPS sometime seem sycophantic in their attentions to China, they are not the only ones. National Assembly President Paul Somohardjo's recent trip to China reflects the strong ethnic-Chinese presence in his predominantly ethnic-Javanese party, Pertjaja Luhur. Cuba-friendly Minister of Health Celsius Waterberg of the predominantly ethnic-Maroon (descendants of escaped slaves) party "A-Combination" was also a recent guest in China. It is likely no coincidence that his supporters hail mostly from the resource-rich interior. Waterberg is now talking about Chinese assistance for building hospitals in the interior. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED: Meanwhile many Surinamers, including businessmen, media, and longtime residents, continue to bristle at the dramatic influx of Chinese immigrants and laborers--and the ease with which they navigate Suriname's highly bureaucratic maze of regulations to quickly establish themselves here. What remains to be seen is whether the public will continue to tolerate what is perceived as favoritism, which according to detractors is threatening jobs and the economic interests of long-time residents of Suriname (septel). END COMMENT SCHREIBER HUGHES