SUBJECT: PRC EMBASSY ON BOOSTING JAPAN COOPERATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 005278 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2017 TAGS: PREL JA BM CH KN SUBJECT: SUBJECT: PRC EMBASSY ON BOOSTING JAPAN COOPERATION TOKYO 00005278 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Charge D'Affairs Joe R. Donovan Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Despite failure to make progress on the East China Sea energy dispute, Beijing and Tokyo are moving forward with plans for Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda to visit Beijing before year's end, Chinese Embassy Political Officer Zhiwen Chen told Embassy Tokyo on November 16. A significant breakthrough on the East China Sea is unlikely before Premier Wen visits Japan next April because "Tokyo continues to insist that China be the one to compromise." Even though Fukuda is hailed as being friendly toward China, Beijing will not sacrifice its national interests as a reward to him. The East China Sea dispute will not impede other areas of bilateral cooperation and Premier Wen Jiabao will discuss ways to boost bilateral and regional cooperation during summit talks in Singapore on November 20. On NORTH Korea, the Japanese abduction issue is separate from progress on North KOREA denuclearization and it should not impede the Six-Party Talks process. The Japanese abduction issue should not be a barrier to the United States removing NORTH KOREA from its State Sponsors of Terrorism List, Chen added. East China Sea Dispute -------------- ¶2. (C) Barring an extension of the current Diet session into January, Prime Minister Fukuda will visit Beijing before the year-end, Chen stated. Even though Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura hinted that a failure to make progress on the East China Sea dispute could affect the Prime Minister's plans to visit the PRC, Beijing and Tokyo are moving forward with plans for the visit and East China Sea talks will not derail his visit. The failure to reach an agreement during the 11th round of talks on November 14 was no surprise, and there is unlikely to be significant progress made at the next round of discussions to be held in late November or early December. While not ruling out the possibility of a breakthrough before Premier Wen's visit to Japan in April, it is unlikely that significant progress will be made, Chen suggested. ¶3. (C) Fukuda hails from the "China School" and his reputation for being "China friendly" will hinder his ability to budge on the East China Sea dispute since he cannot afford the political cost from Japanese voters, Chen observed. As long as Japan continues to insist that China be the one to comprise, a resolution will be unlikely because China will not sacrifice its national interests "as a present" to Fukuda. Upcoming Japan-China Summit Meeting in Singapore -------------- --- ¶4. (C) On November 20, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will meet with Japanese Prime Minster Fukuda in Singapore on the sidelines of ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asia Summit to discuss ways to boost bilateral and regional cooperation. Fukuda will likely be more effective than Abe in stepping up bilateral ties, Chen stated. Since Fukuda has publicly stated he will not visit Yasukuni Shrine, Wen Jiabao will not raise history issues during the meeting, Chen explained. Wen Jiabao and Fukuda are not expected to raise new initiatives and will most likely repeat previous statements on their commitment to strengthening "mutually beneficial cooperation" on energy, environmental protection, economics ties, security, and cultural exchanges. North KOREA and Abduction Issue -------------- ¶5. (C) Beijing sees the Japanese abduction issue as separate from progress on DPRK denuclearization and the Six Party Talks, Chen noted. China understands the political sensitivity over the abductions in Japan, but views it as a bilateral problem between Japan and NORTH KOREA that does not TOKYO 00005278 002.2 OF 002 require third-country intervention. Tokyo repeatedly requests help on resolving the abduction issue, but since Japan does not discuss its NORTH Korean bilateral ties with China, it is difficult for Chinese officials to know how they can provide support, Chen said. DONOVAN