CHINA TAKES DEFENSE CHARM CAMPAIGN TO BRUNEI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000035

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MTS AND EAP/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018
TAGS: PREL MARR CH BX
SUBJECT: CHINA TAKES DEFENSE CHARM CAMPAIGN TO BRUNEI

REF: A. WWW.BT.COM.BN/EN/HOME_NEWS/2008/01/16 AND 17

B. 07 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 160

Classified By: DCM Justin Friedman, reasons, 1.4 (b) & (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Chinese Defense Minister, General Cao Guanchuan, led
the latest detachment from China's charm offensive to Brunei
for an official visit January 14-16. While no new agreements
or business deals were announced during the three day visit,
the General scored points with Brunei officials for taking a
warmer, less doctrinaire approach to his meetings. Cao
Guanchuan's visit is the latest in a regular series of visits
from senior Chinese officials which seem to be focused less
on immediate results, than on raising China's profile and
building relationships in Brunei. END SUMMARY.

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Reciprocal Visit
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2. (SBU) Chinese Defense Minister and Vice Chairman of the
Central Military Commission, General Cao Guanchuan, paid an
official visit to Brunei as a follow on to the visit of
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (who is also Defense Minister of
Brunei) to China in October 2005. General Cao paid a call on
the Sultan, as well as on Deputy Defense Minster Pehin Yasmin
Umar. Cao visited Royal Brunei Air Force Headquarters,
calling on Air Force Chief, Brigadier General Dato Mahmud
Saidin. From his praise of the Air Force's maintenance
facilities to a perfectly pitched press interview (ref A),
Cao waged a successful charm offensive focused more on
building bilateral ties than on any concrete mil-to-mil
activities.

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Bruneians Appreciative
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3. (C) The Bruneians welcomed the change of tone from
previous high-level mil-mil contacts. Pehin Yasmin and
General Mahmud (separately) told us that were impressed by
Cao's knowledge and openness on military organizational
issues and capabilities. They remarked to us what a
difference that is from several years ago, when the Chinese
military was stiff and doctrinaire.


4. (C) Mahmud told us that no sales of equipment were
discussed, but he did note that China had sold air-defence
systems to Indonesia, a capability Brunei is planning to
upgrade. Cao told the press that more Chinese firms planned
to participate in next year's BRIDEX exhibition, Brunei's
bi-annual defense trade show (see ref B for info on BRIDEX
2007).

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Tough Issues in Background
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5. (C) Our contacts told us that potentially contentious
political issues, such as Brunei and China's conflicting
South China Sea sovereignty claims were not raised by either
side during this visit. The only policy point Cao went out
of his way to make to the Bruneians, in private as well as
with the media, was that Taiwan reunification was a core
issue for the PRC, one on which it could not compromise.

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COMMENT: Pure Charm
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6. (C) General Cao has left Brunei without any concrete
achievements on record. Although pitched as a follow up to a
Brunei visit to China, Cao's visit is better understood in
the context of a regular series of visits to Brunei by senior
Chinese officials -- ministers, deputy ministers, and senior
Party functionaries -- over at least the past two years. On
this visit, the Bruneians were clearly flattered by the
attention, but we don't expect these or other recent visits
to prompt a sea-change in Brunei's strategic calculus.
Brunei exists as a sovereign state today because of its
proven skills, tested over 500 years, of triangulating among
major powers. A medium term Chinese charm offensive is not
going to change this, but over time, it will position China
to be a stronger strategic competitor in the region.

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