CHINA/TAIWAN: ACCUSATIONS OF BRIBERY IN ST. LUCIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARAMARIBO 000305 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR LAURA LUFTIG AND BOB COLLINS, AM EMBASSY BRIDGETOWN FOR POL E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV NS ST KCOR SUBJECT: CHINA/TAIWAN: ACCUSATIONS OF BRIBERY IN ST. LUCIA FROM SURINAME REF: A. 2007 PARAMARIBO 133 ¶B. 2007 PARAMARIBO 297 ¶C. 2006 PARAMARIBO 698 ¶D. 2007 PARAMARIBO 165 Classified By: PolOff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) This cable is the second in a series on Chinese and Taiwanese activities in Suriname in the spring of 2007. ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Government of Suriname (GOS) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Head of the Americas Division Terence Craig (protect) told Post the government of Taiwan (GOT) bribed the government of St. Lucia (GOSL) to reject a "One-China Policy." The accusations are ironic given local grumbling that the GOS supports the "One-China Policy," allegedly because of favors received from the Government of China (GOC). END SUMMARY -------------- - Rolexes, DVDs, and Cash for St. Lucia, Others? -------------- - ¶2. (C) Speaking on a favorite hobby horse, CARICOM unity (ref A),when demarched on another topic, GOS MFA Head of the Americas Division Terence Craig digressed with an example regarding a second favorite hobby horse: treachery by "small East Caribbean nations" on China policy. Craig told Post "off the record" that the GOSL in particular had sabotaged efforts for CARICOM consensus on a "One-China Policy;" he went on to say that GOSL officials had been bribed. Craig said he obtained his information from the GOC (NOTE: Most likely from popular and charming GOC Ambassador to Suriname Su Ge, who has also recently shown off an ability to play hardball: will report septel.) Craig elaborated to say that government officials from St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a third nation (he wasn,t sure, but thought St. Kitts and Nevis) had gone out to lunch with GOT officials and left the meeting with Rolexes and DVDs. Craig further said that the Taiwanese (GOT) hasn,t been living up to its commitments in the East Caribbean, whereas the GOC was investing substantially. -------------- Junkets and Hand-Outs for Suriname? -------------- ¶3. (C) These accusations come fresh off of an aggressive attempt by the GOT to get Suriname to switch allegiances as well (ref B). While Craig may accuse the GOT of outright bribery, the GOS, and in particular Craig,s MFA, are beholden to the GOC for everything from easily-obtained loans (ref C) to the construction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building itself. Furthermore, in a typical example of the dollar-diplomacy which the GOC uses to sway the GOS, Surinamese Vice President Ramdien Sardjoe arrived in China June 10 for a six day "courtesy call," two Ministers in tow. On June 13, his office announced U.S. $29.2 million in new soft-loan agreements with the GOC. Such junkets are common; Speaker of Parliament Paul Somohardjo also visited China in 2007, as did Minister of Health Celsius Waterberg, who received an all-expenses-paid courtesy visit to Beijing and returned with a vague, hastily-negotiated agreement to collaborate on development of traditional medicine. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: Craig,s insinuations may or may not have a basis in fact; the idea that officials in the Caribbean would be swayed by a few Rolexes on matters involving millions in foreign assistance seems a bit far-fetched. Also, Post suspects Suriname may be the point-man for the GOC's strategy in the Caribbean, as evidenced by the March 2007 visit to Suriname of Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. As a member of the Chinese delegation indicated to the Ambassador during the March 27 dinner in Li's honor, Suriname was the only Caribbean stop in the Central Committee member's tour of the Western Hemisphere. Moreover, the Surinamese MFA's strong allegiance to the GOC may lead it to gullibility when listening to GOC insinuations. At bottom, the incident demonstrates that the China vs. Taiwan struggle in the Caribbean is taken very seriously by both sides, and getting very dirty. END COMMENT SCHREIBER HUGHES