DATA EXCHANGE ISSUE DISCUSSED AT NOAA-SOA MARINE SCIENCE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004250 STATE FOR OES AND EAP/CM REQUEST CG-51-M PLEASE PASS TO OGMSA SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TSPL SENV TSPA PGOV PREL MARR CH SUBJECT: DATA EXCHANGE ISSUE DISCUSSED AT NOAA-SOA MARINE SCIENCE FORUM REFTEL: BEIJING 3939 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: During meetings at the margins of the World Ocean Week and U.S.-China Marine Science Forum in Xiamen November 7-10, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Assistant Administrator for Research Dr. Richard Spinrad raised with State Oceanic Administration (SOA) Deputy Administrator CHEN Lianzeng the chronic issue of SOA not fulfilling its commitment to grant real-time or near real-time access to data from its Haiyang 1 (HY-1) ocean satellite. (NOTE: SOA currently shares one month-old HY-1 data, which according to NOAA provides no value to operational oceanic and atmospheric forecasts and predictions. (REFTEL) END NOTE) SOA raised several concerns but in the end tentatively agreed to refer the issue to the longstanding NOAA/SOA Ocean Data Panel to define potential restrictions and the most timely method for carrying out the data exchange. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Over the course of several days of discussions with Chen and other SOA officials, SOA raised several concrete objections to NOAA's request to receive "timely" access to HY-series data. Chen drew clear lines that SOA indicated it would not cross, but did open the door to the possibility of stripping out "coastal data" and passing to NOAA only "open ocean data," and committed to letting the NOAA/SOA Ocean Data Panel discuss how to set up the exchange mechanism with the least amount of lag time. ¶3. (SBU) The objections Chen raised were firmly rooted in "national security considerations" and activities that would be considered "illegal" under Chinese law, i.e., allowing foreign entities access to data or information of strategic significance is not permitted. In particular, Chen referenced the denial of a 2006 request by SOA to then-NOAA Administrator Lautenbacher to share U.S. Navy hydrographic data collected in the Taiwan Strait, noting that the "the inclination not to share data due to security concerns also exists on the U.S. side as well." Spinrad emphasized that the previous Chinese request involved U.S. Navy data, which NOAA has no authority to share, whereas Chinese HY data is "owned" by SOA for scientific applications. In response to Spinrad's suggestion that NOAA and SOA should agree to focus the data exchange discussions only on data "owned" by NOAA and SOA respectively, Chen refused, saying that all such issues "are related." ¶4. (SBU) Chen later added, however, that he hoped the nearly 30 years of NOAA/SOA cooperation in marine science would not be derailed by this one point of contention, and that the two sides could use the Marine Science Forum (which took place the following day) to refocus on areas of "mutual" priority and benefit. Spinrad agreed that the forum would be useful for beginning to identify areas of collaboration for the next two years, but he was certain that most if not all joint research being considered would be dependent upon the availability of a continuous and reliable stream of raw data, and that this issue needs to move forward. ¶5. (SBU) At Spinrad's suggestion to focus on what data SOA would in fact be comfortable sharing (without necessarily contravening Chinese security laws),Chen finally agreed to allow SOA officials to work with NOAA to set procedures for sharing on a trial basis "open ocean" (not "coastal") data from HY-1, with every effort made toward streamlining the process and reducing the time lag. NOAA and SOA later agreed to allow their jointly-composed Ocean Data Panel of experts to meet in coming months to deliberate over and recommend mutually-acceptable procedures. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: Although this data issue has been ongoing for several years now, the conversations in Xiamen marked the first time in recent memory Post has heard an SOA official as high-ranking as Chen tie the denial of timely HY-1 coastal data directly to China's military concerns, or to hydrographic activities carried out by the U.S. Navy. NOAA left the meetings hopeful by the commitment it managed to extract from SOA to exchange "open ocean" data as a basis for future exchanges. However, the fact that SOA refused to have the results of these sidebar discussions summarized in the Marine Science Forum minutes perhaps gives some indication of SOA's only moderate commitment to following through with this agreement. END COMMENT BEIJING 00004250 002 OF 002 ¶7. (U) This cable has been cleared by NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. RANDT