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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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" -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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, BEIJING 00002913 002 OF 003 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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 BEIJING 00002913 003 OF 003 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 -------------- ¶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