YANG DEFENDS CHINA'S NSG POSITION ON FIRST TRIP TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002446

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR PBTS CH IN
SUBJECT: YANG DEFENDS CHINA'S NSG POSITION ON FIRST TRIP TO
INDIA

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Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi,s
first official trip to India September 7-9, ostensibly to
inaugurate the new Chinese consulate in Kolkata and lay the
groundwork for better momentum in India-China relations, was
overshadowed by controversy over China's perceived lack of
support for India's waiver at the September 4-6 Nuclear
Supplier Group (NSG) meeting. Both Foreign Minister
Mukherjee and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan
expressed India's surprise and disappointment at China's lack
of support for India in Vienna, and President Sonia Gandhi,
after keeping Yang waiting for a reply to a meeting request,
in the end did not meet with him. Indian media dwelled on
the "strain" in the bilateral relationship. Yang expressed
surprise at the level of outrage in Delhi, and responded by
saying China had not blocked consensus in the NSG, but had
played a "constructive and responsible" role at the meeting.
END SUMMARY.

--- Yang Pays for China's Walkout at September 6 NSG Meet ---


2. (C) Fallout from China's role at the Nuclear Suppliers
Group meeting on September 6 dominated Indian media coverage
of Yang Jiechi's trip September 7-9 trip to India, with news
of the opening of China's new Kolkata consulate or
discussions on enhanced India-China relations and border
issues buried under the NSG drama. On September 6, one day
prior to Yang,s arrival in India, National Security Advisor
MK Narayanan stated publicly that India's "surprise" and
"disappointment" on China's lack of support for India at the
NSG, including President Hu,s refusal to accept a phone call
from Prime Minister Singh and India's perception that China
had reneged on assurances of support in Vienna, would be
shared with Yang during his visit. Although publicly
maintaining a high road on China's role in Vienna by stating
"Every sovereign country has the right to express its
sovereign will," Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee reportedly
personally communicated to Yang the GOI's disappointment with
China's actions. Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi, who has
visited China twice in the last year, kept Yang waiting until
the last minute for confirmation of an appointment, and
finally did not meet with him, leaving Yang to fill the open
time on the morning of September 9 by visiting museums.

--- Indian Media: China "Duplicitous" ---


3. (U) Indian media was relentless in connecting Yang,s
visit to the NSG meetings, with the vast majority of reports
suggesting China's actions in Vienna had caused lasting
damage to the bilateral relationship. Negative coverage was
widespread, alleging Yang needed to formally apologize for
China,s behavior at the NSG. (Note: He didn't publicly,
although Times Now reported Yang was "apologetic" in his
meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. End
Note.) Other reports called China "duplicitous" or accused

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it of "creating difficulties for the waiver," with one
unnamed analyst quoted by DNA as saying, "Times like these
are a test of friendship, and it's fair to say that on this
count, China failed this test." The Telegraph condemned
Beijing for attempting to take the moral high ground at the
Vienna meeting, saying China,s tactics merely served to draw
unflattering attention to its own "pathetic" record of
nuclear proliferation. What positive coverage there was
focused mostly on Yang,s remarks in Kolkata, emphasizing how
the new consulate symbolized China,s "sincerity towards
building bilateral friendship" and his expression of hope for
stronger economic and social ties.

--- Yang: China Did Not Block NSG Consensus ---


4. (C) Yang admitted to being surprised at the level of
negative reaction when he arrived in India, but urged that
China be judged by its actions, not words. His response to
the criticism echoed the Chinese Foreign Ministry's statement
that China's role in the NSG was "constructive and
responsible," and he added "we didn't do anything to block
(NSG consensus)."

--- Experts Call Visit A "Washout," Sign of "Cold Peace" ---


5. (C) Jawaharlal Nehru University China Studies professor
Dr. Srikanth Kondapalli, who met with Yang on the morning of
September 9, told Poloff that Yang had said the visit had
been "satisfactory" and that he was happy to meet the Prime
Minister. Kondapalli's assessment of the visit was that it
had been a "washout," considering the Sonia Gandhi snub, and
that the message of progress for the relationship had been
lost in defending China,s NSG actions. Kondapalli added
that Yang's visit was "a firefighting exercise" after the NSG
meeting and that Yang was trying to defuse India's pent up
feelings against China by explaining China's NSG position.
In his speech at the Hyatt Regency, Yang called on India to
expedite border dispute issue resolution with China, and
called for a visa-free regime between China and India.
Kondapalli expressed that India was unlikely to act on these
points.


6. (C) Institute of Defense Studies and Analysis China
analyst V. Krishnappa described an "anger in the air and in
the hallways of Delhi" during Yang,s visit, a symbol of what
he calls the "cold peace" which defines Indo-China relations.
Krishnappa lauded the Indian government's diplomatic
handling of the NSG issue, saying Foreign Minister Mukherjee
delivered a strong message but was careful not to jeopardize
the larger and many interests India has in its relationship
with China. Given the power differential in the
relationship, Krishnappa maintained, India could express
anger over what it felt was mistreatment by Beijing, but
still had to practice "real diplomacy" in managing a complex
relationship.


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--- Chinese Embassy Emphasizes Value Of Dialogue ---


7. (C) Chinese Embassy Political Counselor Hu Zhaoming
acknowledged to PolCouns that the Indian media had made
Yang,s visit difficult, but insisted "It was a good visit."
Hu emphasized the value of senior level officials maintaining
regular dialogue, and noted this was just one of several
scheduled high level visits pending, including Narayanan,s
visit to Beijing for border talks, PM Singh,s visit in late
October for the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM),National People's
Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo,s expected visit to India in
early 2009, and an outstanding invitation for Vice-President
Xi Jinping to visit India. Hu also explained that Yang had
exchanged views on mechanisms for border talks, designed to
build transparency and maintain peace as talks continue, as
well as to institutionalize the 7-8 active dialogues between
Indian and Chinese ministries.

--- Comment: Positive Contrast For U.S. ---


8. (C) Comment. While Yang himself was mostly the victim of
poor timing -- we understand his visit was scheduled far in
advance as part of regular diplomatic activity, and was not
intentionally scheduled to coincide with the NSG group
decision -- it was no coincidence that Indian officials and
media were eager to exploit any perception of Beijing's ill
intentions toward India. As India's rivalry with China
continues, and as India looks to strengthen its relative
bargaining position (among them: NSA Narayanan will head to
Beijing the week of September 15 for border talks),we see
Indians looking for any justification to criticize their
northern neighbor and attempt to bridge the power
differential Krishnappa described. We disagree with those in
the Indian media, however, who believe lasting damage was
done in Vienna, and note that September 11 press has already
begun to report how the Congress Party has "forgiven"
Beijing. As Krishnappa warned, while some in the Indian
media were eager to draw a comparison between the relative
directions of the India-China relationship vis-a-vis
India-U.S. ties, it would be a mistake to link Yang,s
treatment to any zero-sum gains for America. Still, Yang,s
visit seems to have fueled debate in Delhi over who India can
count on as friends, and, in the wake of Vienna, Delhi seems
as empowered as ever to call Beijing onto the carpet for
unfriendly behavior.
MULFORD