UK FM MILIBAND IN CHINA: RESPONSIBLE SOVEREIGNTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000766 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2028 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM UK CH BM SU TW SUBJECT: UK FM MILIBAND IN CHINA: RESPONSIBLE SOVEREIGNTY Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1. 4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) During his February 24-29 visit to China, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called for a greater PRC role in nonproliferation, free trade, climate change, the Darfur crisis and development issues. The UK and China institutionalized an agenda for cooperation in a new Commission tasked with discussing five topics: nonproliferation, African development, UN effectiveness, climate change and Sino-European cooperation. According to the UK Embassy, Miliband made "very frank" private remarks on the need to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions and the inappropriateness of China's expanding economic relationship with Iran. The visit included a speech at Beijing Universityin which Miliband explained the importance of "responsible sovereignty" and the threats and opportunities China faced from globalization. End summary. Long Visit -------------- ¶2. (C) British Foreign Secretary David Miliband visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chongqing and Beijing February 24-29 and met Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, British Embassy First Secretary Gareth Ward told PolOff March 3. Ward said Miliband made a relatively long first visit to China to have a better opportunity to discuss issues in depth and to forge enduring personal relationships. Five Themes -------------- ¶3. (C) Ward said Miliband's visit capitalized on the good personal relationship built with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during Yang's December 2007 visit to London. Building on their discussions in London, Yang and Miliband commissioned joint work on five broad topics of global concern to be discussed over the next six months at both senior and working levels: nonproliferation, African development issues, UN effectiveness, climate change and Sino-European cooperation. Iran: New Resolution Needed -------------- ¶4. (C) Iran was the most important specific proliferation-related issue that Miliband discussed, per the UK PolOff. Ward said Miliband was "very frank" on the need to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Miliband raised strong objections to China's attempts to water down economic ;sanctions, which "give the wrong political signal." Miliband said that if the P5-plus-1 (or E3-plus-3) do not succeed in thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions, "all the things China does not want to occur will occur." Other Nonproliferation Issues -------------- ¶5. (C) Moving from Iran to general proliferation issues, Miliband stressed the importance of the P5's pursuing a cohesive approach to strengthening the global nonproliferation regime, Ward told us. Miliband specifically raised the need for a more effective system to verify that disablement of facilities has really occurred. Miliband also pushed the UK's nuclear enrichment bond initiative, a plan to guarantee a supply of enriched nuclear fuel and thus eliminate the need for most nations to produce such fuel. Ward said the UK, China, Germany and the Netherlands will discuss the plan in detail at a May conference. Miliband also expressed a general desire to have China play a larger role in shaping the international nonproliferation agenda. Sudan: Full Deployment of UNAMID -------------- ¶6. (C) Miliband and FM Yang discussed the need for full deployment of UNAMID and for full humanitarian access to Darfur. Miliband called for full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and urged China to coordinate closely with other governments to achieve this objective. Miliband also raised Sudan with Premier Wen, who said that a solution to the problems in Sudan requires the support of the rebels and the government. Wen said China supports the goals of peace and stability in Sudan and will seek to achieve them "while doing normal business." The British Special Envoy for Darfur will visit China later this year to follow up on Miliband's discussions. Ward said the British seek to keep China as publicly involved as possible to stymie Beijing's ability to make backroom deals with the Khartoum regime. African Development Assistance -------------- ¶7. (C) Miliband's visit included a roundtable on African development assistance. The roundtable discussions supported greater Sino-UK cooperation and joint efforts on development. Ward said including African participants in the roundtable (the Ambassadors of Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa) was crucial to the success of the discussions. Miliband urged China to take a larger role in discussions of the Millennium Development Goals. Environment, Human Rights, Taiwan, Burma -------------- ¶8. (C) Miliband stressed the need for more effective UN stabilization and reconstruction work and advocated reshaping the World Bank into "an environmental bank" and the IMF into an "early warning system." Miliband said that climate change concerns dictate that China pursue a "low carbon, high growth" strategy. In this regard, Miliband said China must be a "leapfrog economy," that avoids the path of previous economies. Miliband raised the human rights cases of Hu Jia and Gao Zhisheng and urged China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Yang replied that China is now working to create an "appropriate legal framework" for ratification. Ward said Miliband made no new statements on Taiwan, simply reiterating Britain's one China policy and saying Britain "does not support" Taiwan's referendum on UN membership. Ward said there was also nothing new on Burma and the Chinese repeated "the usual line" that China supports UN Special Advisor Gambari's efforts. Beijing University Speech -------------- ¶9. (U) Miliband gave a policy speech at Beijing University on the theme of "responsible sovereignty." The speech highlighted the challenges, threats and opportunities of globalization and called for increased openness and reduced trade protectionism. Miliband urged China to do more for "faltering states," which he defined as failing states too weak to maintain rule of law as well as rogue states that threaten their neighbors. Miliband stated publicly that the world should "celebrate" not boycott the Olympics. However, he urged China to take seriously international concerns, noting that those who raise concerns over China's actions do so "not to pick on China, or block its rise, but rather to see its power used as a force for good." Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chongqing Visits -------------- ¶10. (C) In meetings with Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang and legislators, Miliband expressed disappointment that SIPDIS universal suffrage in Hong Kong will not be achieved by 2012, but satisfaction that there is now a clear commitment from Beijing to move to universal suffrage by 2017. Miliband met business leaders in Shanghai, which Ward called the "least substantial" portion of Miliband's trip. In Chongqing, Miliband focused on development, reform and rural-urban issues, including migration, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on UK assistance on rural-urban migration issues. RANDT