BEIJING-BASED G-5 CHIEFS OF MISSION ON SIX-PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002913

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2028
TAGS: PREL PGOV KOLY PTER CVIS CH FR JA UK KS
SUBJECT: BEIJING-BASED G-5 CHIEFS OF MISSION ON SIX-PARTY
TALKS, OLYMPICS ATTENDANCE AND SECURITY, VISAS

Classified By: Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
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1. (C) At the regular meeting of G-5 ambassadors in Beijing
July 25, Japanese Ambassador Miyamoto and French DCM Chapuis
agreed that "too many things" are being considered a security
threat to the upcoming Olympics. The Chinese Government has
given the domestic press free reign to report on violent
incidents within China without prior approval, Miyamoto
claimed. Germany and Japan reported no complaints from
business travelers about recent Olympics-related visa
restrictions. Planned high-level visits during the Olympics
include Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and Former German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder. The Japanese Ambassador reported that
many Japanese fear violent Chinese nationalism during the
Olympics, and a Japanese study ranked men's soccer as the
event most likely to lead to violence. As many as 20,000
Korean soccer fans will reportedly travel to Qinghuangdao,
one of the soccer venues, which is a cause for concern to the
South Korean Embassy, the Japanese Ambassador reported. The
French Embassy is "unhappy" about sensational Chinese media
coverage of a recent public service announcement critical of
Chinese treatment of dissidents in advance of the Olympics,
produced by a famous French film director. Also on the
subject of human rights, the Japanese have restarted their
human rights dialogue after a six-year hiatus but reported
little progress. End Summary.

Participants
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2. (C) Japanese Ambassador Yuji Miyamoto hosted UK DCM
Barbara Woodward, French DCM Nicolas Chapuis, German DCM
Aristide Fenster and the Ambassador July 25 for the regular
G-5 gathering of Beijing-based Chiefs of Mission.

Olympics Security: "Threat" Is Poorly Defined
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3. (C) According to a "good source" within the Beijing Public
Security Bureau (PSB),the Beijing police "are nervous" about
the Olympics, because they do not know "from whom or where
the threat will come," Ambassador Miyamoto said. He noted
that as the Olympic Games draw closer, the PSB is losing
sight of what constitutes a serious threat. French DCM
Chapuis agreed with Miyamoto that "in their minds, too many
things" are currently considered threats. He reported that
the Central Party School commissioned a study regarding
counterterrorism in advance of the Olympics from a Ministry
of State Security-affiliated think tank and a People's
Liberation Army (PLA) think tank. The study, written by a
PLA General, is due August first.

Six-Party Talks: Wu Dawei "Frustrated"
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4. (C) Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei did not attend
the informal Six-Party Talks Ministerial meeting in Singapore
July 23 because he is "frustrated," Japanese Ambassador
Miyamoto alleged. He added that, in his view, this
frustration stems from China's "jealousy" that North Korea is
moving closer to the United States.

More Freedom for Chinese Domestic Press
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5. (C) A shift in Central Government policy is responsible
for the sharp increase in reporting of violent incidents in
China such as the bus bombings in Kunming and Shanghai,
Ambassador Miyamoto said. Several weeks ago, guidance went
out allowing the domestic press to report on such incidents
without prior official approval, he alleged. However, the
New China News Agency (Xinhua) Chinese-language service has
not yet reported on the six police officers stabbed to death
in Shanghai July 1, he noted.

Visas: Not a Problem for Most
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6. (C) German media representatives have repeatedly asked the
German Embassy what action is planned in response to
allegations that five Olympic-host cities have stopped
issuing letters of support for business visa applicants,

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German DCM Fenster reported. However, since the German
Embassy has received no complaints, no action is planned, he
said. Japanese Ambassador Miyamoto agreed, saying that visa
issuance appears to be continuing as normal. French DCM
Chapuis reported that French citizens were, in fact,
encountering difficulties securing visas for travel to China.
Of 60 volunteers from the French Olympic Committee who were
slated to come to Beijing, 55 were granted visas in advance.
When the five remaining applied for visas, all five were
rejected despite having the requisite paperwork.

Sarkozy's Olympic Plans
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7. (C) French President Nicolas Sarkozy will arrive in
Beijing August 8 and plans to leave at midnight if the
airport is open, Chapuis reported. He will attend the
Opening Ceremonies, but plans to leave during the 40 minutes
of fireworks slated to follow the lighting of the Olympic
flame at 2320 hrs. The Head of the French Olympic Committee
has written a letter on Sarkozy's behalf asking for
permission for him to meet the French Olympic team at the
Olympic Green on the morning of August 8. The Chinese
responded that the Green is closed on August 8, but they
might make an exception pending the personal approval of the
Beijing BOCOG President and Beijing Party Secretary Liu Qi.
Chapuis added that the meeting must take place early, as the
French athletes are required to assemble at the Bird's Nest
for the Opening Ceremonies at 1400 hrs, six hours in advance
of the Opening Ceremonies.

Other High-Level Olympics Visitors
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8. (C) UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will attend the Closing
Ceremonies, as he has planned all along. Japanese Prime
Minister Yasuo Fukuda will attend the Opening Ceremonies,
but, like Sarkozy, is planning to leave at midnight. PM
Fukuda plans to attend a ceremony in Japan the following day.
At the suggestion of the Chinese Government, Fukuda is
scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao during his
visit. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori will also
attend the Opening Ceremonies, along with 14 leaders of the
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). German Sports Minister
Wolfgang Schaeuble will attend the Olympics August 15-18,
followed by German Minister of Defense Franz Josef Jung
August 20-23. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
will attend the Opening Ceremonies in a private capacity, but
will also meet Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang August 9 and
Premier Wen Jiabao August 10. German Bundestag President Dr.
Norbert Lammert will attend the Opening Ceremonies of the
Paralympics. French DCM Chapuis noted that, because the
Opening Ceremonies fall on the Sabbath, the Israeli delegate,
Shimon Peres, will have to walk to the Bird's Nest to attend,
a problem that is currently "being worked on."

Japanese Public Afraid of Chinese Nationalism
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9. (C) Most of the Japanese public is too "frightened" to
attend the Olympics due to fears of violent anti-Japanese
displays of Chinese nationalism, Miyamoto said. A Japanese
analysis of China's approach to the Olympic Games indicates
that China uses public opinion and nationalism to manage the
Chinese public by repeatedly stressing the "dignity and
nobility of the Chinese nation," an approach that worries the
Japanese. According to the Japanese Embassy, the study
concluded that the events most likely to lead to violence are
those sports that are popular on the mainland but which Japan
may win. The three events most at risk of violence, in
order, are men's soccer, women's wrestling, and women's
volleyball. He also noted that 20,000 South Korean soccer
fans without tickets are planning to travel to Qinhuangdao,
one of the Olympic soccer venues. Given the potential
problems associated with 20,000 soccer fans, the South Korean
Embassy is sending ten staff members to monitor the situation.

French Director Snubs China
--------------


10. (C) A famous French film director recently produced a
public service announcement critical of China's treatment of
dissidents and protesters in advance of the Olympics. The
clip shows actors portraying French President Sarkozy and his
wife Carla Bruni attending the Opening Ceremonies, where they
are accosted by a Free Tibet protester. A "bang" is heard

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and the protester falls while Bruni wipes blood off of her
sleeve. The caption on the video reads "You won't see this,
because it has already been taken care of." Chapuis reported
that the French Embassy is "not happy" with the sensational
Chinese media attention given to this video, which is further
inflaming anti-French sentiment in China on the eve of the
Olympics.

Japanese Human Rights Dialogue: No Progress
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11. (C) The Japanese have restarted their human rights
dialogue with China after a six-year hiatus, Ambassador
Miyamoto reported. He commented that, instead of progress,
the dialogue was merely another aspect of Chinese
"Olympics-related propaganda." During discussions on
Sino-Japan joint development projects, primarily in Africa,
the Japanese raised concerns about the role of human rights
in the context of development aid, to which the Chinese
responded that access to basic economic opportunity is a
fundamental right. The Japanese accepted this argument on
the premise that a key goal of development is improvements in
human rights conditions.
RANDT