Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BEIJING1021
2008-03-18 10:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:
CHINA DEMARCHES EU NATIONS ON TIBET
how-toVZCZCXRO7827 OO RUEHAG RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHROV RUEHVC DE RUEHBJ #1021 0781030 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 181030Z MAR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5907 INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU IMMEDIATE 3810 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 4512
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001021
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH
SUBJECT: CHINA DEMARCHES EU NATIONS ON TIBET
REF: BEIJING 1001
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001021
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH
SUBJECT: CHINA DEMARCHES EU NATIONS ON TIBET
REF: BEIJING 1001
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.
4 (b/d).
1. (C) Summary: EU Embassy contacts reported March 18 that
the Chinese Government on March 17 urged EU members not to
publicly support or have contact with the Dalai Lama. MFA
officials also protested Tibet-related demonstrations
throughout Europe, particularly those that resulted in damage
to Chinese embassies and consulates in several European
cities. Some EU nations also received a protest letter from
FM Yang to their respective Foreign Ministers. The text of
the letter is largely identical to the one given to us March
17 (reftel),but includes an extra paragraph that cites the
Vienna Conventions and calls for greater protection of
Chinese diplomatic facilities. End Summary.
2. (C) The Chinese government on March 17 called in diplomats
from the EU Troika (current Presidency Slovenia, future
Presidency France and the EU Commission),Belgium, Germany
and the Netherlands to protest security breaches and minor
damage to Chinese embassies and consulates in several
European cities and to ask for increased protection for
Chinese diplomats and diplomatic facilities. The Chinese
urged European nations to give "no public support" to the
Dalai Lama and to revoke any visas he has been granted. The
Dalai Lama's upcoming travel plans, EU colleagues told us,
include a visit to the EU Parliament and to the German state
of Hesse. Our EU colleagues' reports of the atmospherics of
the MFA meeting varied. A German diplomat said the demarche
was "not out of the ordinary" and not particularly harsh or
strident. A French colleague, on the other hand, called the
tone of the Chinese protest "unusually strong." The Chinese
MFA delivered a similar demarche separately to the Czech
Embassy, according to a Czech diplomat.
3. (C) At approximately 2200 hours March 17, the MFA called
in 15 of the 27 EU Ambassadors for a second demarche on the
same topic. The 15 Embassies invited appear to have been
those EU countries that had not received previous
representations from the Chinese on this subject. These
Ambassadors received a letter on the Tibet issue from Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to deliver to their Foreign
Ministers. The text of the letter is almost identical to the
one given to us March 17 (reftel),but includes an extra
paragraph that cites the Vienna Conventions and calls for
greater protection of Chinese diplomatic facilities.
RANDT
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM CH
SUBJECT: CHINA DEMARCHES EU NATIONS ON TIBET
REF: BEIJING 1001
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.
4 (b/d).
1. (C) Summary: EU Embassy contacts reported March 18 that
the Chinese Government on March 17 urged EU members not to
publicly support or have contact with the Dalai Lama. MFA
officials also protested Tibet-related demonstrations
throughout Europe, particularly those that resulted in damage
to Chinese embassies and consulates in several European
cities. Some EU nations also received a protest letter from
FM Yang to their respective Foreign Ministers. The text of
the letter is largely identical to the one given to us March
17 (reftel),but includes an extra paragraph that cites the
Vienna Conventions and calls for greater protection of
Chinese diplomatic facilities. End Summary.
2. (C) The Chinese government on March 17 called in diplomats
from the EU Troika (current Presidency Slovenia, future
Presidency France and the EU Commission),Belgium, Germany
and the Netherlands to protest security breaches and minor
damage to Chinese embassies and consulates in several
European cities and to ask for increased protection for
Chinese diplomats and diplomatic facilities. The Chinese
urged European nations to give "no public support" to the
Dalai Lama and to revoke any visas he has been granted. The
Dalai Lama's upcoming travel plans, EU colleagues told us,
include a visit to the EU Parliament and to the German state
of Hesse. Our EU colleagues' reports of the atmospherics of
the MFA meeting varied. A German diplomat said the demarche
was "not out of the ordinary" and not particularly harsh or
strident. A French colleague, on the other hand, called the
tone of the Chinese protest "unusually strong." The Chinese
MFA delivered a similar demarche separately to the Czech
Embassy, according to a Czech diplomat.
3. (C) At approximately 2200 hours March 17, the MFA called
in 15 of the 27 EU Ambassadors for a second demarche on the
same topic. The 15 Embassies invited appear to have been
those EU countries that had not received previous
representations from the Chinese on this subject. These
Ambassadors received a letter on the Tibet issue from Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to deliver to their Foreign
Ministers. The text of the letter is almost identical to the
one given to us March 17 (reftel),but includes an extra
paragraph that cites the Vienna Conventions and calls for
greater protection of Chinese diplomatic facilities.
RANDT