BEIJING-BASED G-5 CHIEFS OF MISSION ON KIM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 003591 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2028 TAGS: PREL PGOV KOLY PHUM CH FR JA GM UK KN KS ZI SUBJECT: BEIJING-BASED G-5 CHIEFS OF MISSION ON KIM JONG-IL, OLYMPICS BILATERAL MEETINGS, FUKUDA'S SUCCESSOR 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 September 12, German DCM Hans Carl Von Werthern said that it is possible German doctors are in Pyongyang to assist Kim Jong-il. Japanese Ambassador Miyamoto reported that PM Fukuda raised the issue of poisoned dumplings in his recent bilateral meeting with Hu Jintao, noting that the dumplings issue is of greater importance to most Japanese citizens than the East China Sea territorial dispute. Miyamoto said that China's leadership fears that Fukuda is the last "truly attractive" Japanese leader, and that, despite public optimism, Chinese leaders are worried about his successor. French President Sarkozy's Olympics visit was a success that helped "turn the page" in Sino-French relations, French Ambassador Ladsous reported. Sarkozy will return to Beijing for the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in October, as will German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Foreign Minister David Miliband. UK Ambassador Ehrman said that during his recent visit British Prime Minister Gordon Brown discussed with Chinese leaders the Millennium Development Goals, Sudan, and financial services reform. End Summary. Participants -------------- ¶2. (C) UK Ambassador William Ehrman hosted French Ambassador Herve Ladsous, Japanese Ambassador Yuji Miyamoto, German DCM Hans Carl Von Werthern and the Ambassador September 12 for the regular G-5 gathering of Beijing-based Chiefs of Mission. Kim Jong-il's Health -------------- ¶3. (C) A member of the South Korean Intelligence Service recently told a German parliamentarian that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke and underwent surgery, according to German DCM Von Werthern. Kim is expected to survive, and the South Korean Government does not expect "any major changes" in the North. Regarding rumors that teams of French and German doctors have flown to Pyongyang to assist the ailing Kim Jong-il, French Ambassador Herve Ladsous said that the French Government does not keep track of private citizens and thus cannot confirm or deny the reports. Von Werthern said that while he is not sure if these specific rumors are true, a German hospital named Charite-Universitaetsmedizin has trained North Korean doctors and previously sent a heart surgeon to examine Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. Kim's brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, previously wanted to go to Charite for treatment, but was denied a German visa. Fukuda's Olympics Meetings -------------- ¶4. (C) At the start of his August 8 bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing, Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda said he hoped to have a "cordial and pleasant meeting," but "issues had overtaken him," requiring that he raise substantive issues, Japanese Ambassador Miyamoto said. Fukuda began with the issue of poisoned dumplings exported by China to Japan, a story recently revived by the Japanese press. The dumplings issue is of greater importance to ordinary Japanese citizens than the disputed boundary in the East China Sea, Ambassador Miyamoto said. A recent joint Sino-Japanese poll indicated that since the poisoned dumplings incident, there has been a 15-percent increase in the number of Japanese people with a negative view of China, bringing the total to 70 percent. Ambassador Miyamoto expressed frustration that despite the Japanese Embassy's urging, the Chinese Government has never appeared to take the matter seriously, responding to concerns only by noting that "no one died" from the dumplings. ¶5. (C) PM Fukuda raised the topic of the Dalai Lama, urging further talks between China and the Dalai Lama's representatives and asking the Chinese Government to inform Japan of the outcome. Fukuda raised the East China Sea, but Hu responded that further discussions at this time would lead to a negative public reaction. Fukuda raised abductees and BEIJING 00003591 002 OF 003 the Six-Party Talks. For his part, Hu told Fukuda the Chinese economy has no serious problems and, due to the efforts of Chinese officials, will survive any challenges and continue to grow and prosper. Ambassador Miyamoto noted that this optimism differs from the opinions of Chinese economists. Chinese officials thanked Fukuda for attending the Olympics Opening Ceremony, noting Fukuda's schedule was tight because the ceremony fell between the memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Unexpectedly, China's expression of appreciation was made formally and in public, with the press attending. Fukuda's Successor -------------- ¶6. (C) According to Ambassador Miyamoto, Chinese officials believe that Fukuda will be the last Japanese leader who will be "truly attractive to the Chinese." They describe Fukuda as old-fashioned, polite, indirect and caring, traits that earned him high marks from his Chinese interlocutors. While the official line from both the Chinese and Japanese Governments is that a new Prime Minister will not alter the current course of Sino-Japanese relations, in truth the Chinese are nervous, Miyamoto said. However, Japanese politicians have learned a "hard lesson" from former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine and are unlikely to repeat this course. Sarkozy's Olympics Meetings -------------- ¶7. (C) French President Nicolas Sarkozy's August 8 visit was a success, Ambassador Ladsous reported. Sarkozy met President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, and had lunch with State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Sarkozy raised the topics of Iran, Darfur and North Korea, and encouraged greater Chinese participation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The press was present during the initial part of the bilateral meeting with Hu Jintao, which Hu reportedly said showed that "the page is turned, and we are looking to the future." Shortly thereafter, French electric company EDF was able to complete the signing of a large but long-delayed contract in Guangdong Province. High-Level Visitors to and from France -------------- ¶8. (C) Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the next EU-China Summit December 1 in Lyon, France, and the French Government is encouraging him to stay for bilateral meetings. China has agreed to restart its strategic dialogue with France, and a small, one-and-a-half-day informal session between French Diplomatic Advisor Jean-David Levitte and State Councilor Dai Bingguo is planned for October 4-5. While Sarkozy will return to China for the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit October 24-25, it is unclear if Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will attend. Secretary of State for Trade Anne-Marie Idrac will attend, however, and will stay to inaugurate the new French Consulate General in Shenyang. She will also attend the September 25-27 World Economic Forum session in Tianjin and attend the inauguration of a large new Airbus assembly line there. Minister of Commerce Chen Deming will attend a Joint Economic Commission Meeting in Paris. Germany: Low Profile at Olympics -------------- ¶9. (C) Germany had no Federal Government representative at the Olympics. The German press was staunchly opposed to official representation at the Olympics, and even those German politicians who were in Beijing at the time did not attend the Opening Ceremony for fear of negative publicity, German DCM Von Werthern said. The German business community, however, expressed displeasure over German leaders' failure to attend, noting that a lack of representation at the Olympics may hurt German business interests. German President Horst Koehler, whose daughter is blind, attended the Paralympics Opening Ceremony and held a bilateral meeting with President Hu Jintao. Von Werthern said that the meeting was noteworthy because Hu did not raise either Tibet or Taiwan. Asked for the definition of "harmonious society and scientific development," Hu responded that the policies are an attempt to put the individual at the center of the Party's BEIJING 00003591 003 OF 003 policies and to create "the missing link" between society and economics to allow the Party to meet the needs of individual citizens. Von Werthern said German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the ASEM Summit in October and has asked for bilateral meetings. The Chinese Government is encouraging Merkel to travel to Sichuan after the ASEM Summit for an EU Chamber of Commerce conference on Sichuan Province development. The Sino-German strategic dialogue will take place October 9 in Berlin. AFM Wu Hongbo will attend instead of the previous interlocutor, VFM Zhang Yesui. UK PM Meeting with Hu Jintao -------------- ¶10. (C) In his August 22 meeting with President Hu Jintao, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked about the Millennium Development Goals, inquiring whether China's 2006 promises of development aid to other nations had been met, how much debt relief was given in 2007, and how much new aid was proposed, UK Ambassador Ehrman reported. Hu responded that the Chinese Government plans to announce on September 25 in New York a new assistance and debt relief package for 30 countries, the majority of which are in Africa. Hu asked for Britain's help in Sudan, but Brown replied that the Sudanese Government had previously rejected a proposed joint British-Chinese aid project. Brown raised human rights and Tibet, and stressed the importance of the British-Chinese strategic economic dialogue. In his bilateral meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao, Brown "made some progress" with respect to the financial service sector relating to capital markets, derivatives and bond markets, Ehrman said. Wen expressed regret that the Doha Round broke down, and said that China will do all it can to help resuscitate it. Various British Meetings -------------- ¶11. (C) In a recent meeting of the "Politicians of the Future" Forum, in which rising British politicians meet their young Chinese counterparts, a group of British politicians met Communist Youth League First Secretary Lu Hao, whom they described as "confident, outspoken and frank," Ambassador Ehrman reported. When asked for the definition of "harmonious society" and "scientific development," Lu said he was unable to answer, as he is "not yet the General Secretary of the Communist Party." PM Brown will not attend the ASEM summit. Foreign Minister David Miliband and Trade Minister Digby Jones will attend, and Jones will also participate in an economic and trade dialogue and the September 25-27 World Economic Forum session in Tianjin. Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Guo Boxiong will visit the UK in the near future. Brown will host an energy summit in London in late September, which Vice President Xi Jinping may attend. The UK worries that following the Olympics, the Chinese Government will reinstitute rules that roll back increased freedom of the press (for foreign journalists),Ehrman said. Former Minister of Information Cai Wu, now the Minister of Culture, said the new freedoms will continue after the Olympics, an assertion the British Embassy doubts. Ehrman said Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe wanted to attend the Olympics, but did not after China indicated that Mugabe's participation would be "inconvenient." RANDT