PRC EMBASSY ON HU MAY VISIT TO JAPAN, TIBET, AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001075 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2018 TAGS: ENRG PGOV PHUM PREL BM CH JA SUBJECT: PRC EMBASSY ON HU MAY VISIT TO JAPAN, TIBET, AND OLYMPICS TOKYO 00001075 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Thomas J. Schieffer for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Despite failure to make progress on the East China Sea energy dispute during Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka's April 14-15 visit to Beijing, Beijing and Tokyo are working hard to reach a compromise before President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan on May 6, Chinese Embassy Political Officer Zhiwen Chen told Embassy Tokyo on April 16. Both Beijing and Tokyo need to compromise before progress can be made, and a breakthrough might not be possible before Hu's visit, however. China does not expect the East China Sea -- or Tibet -- to overshadow Hu's visit and the positive warming trend in bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit Japan April 17-19 to lay the groundwork for President Hu Jintao's May visit to Japan. Hu is expected to arrive on May 6 and will meet with Prime Minister Fukuda, Foreign Minister Koumura, and the heads of ruling coalition Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP),coalition partner Komeito, and opposition Democratic Party of Japan. He will give a speech at Waseda University, attend an opening ceremony to celebrate "Japan-China Youth Exchange Year," and play a ping pong match with Fukuda. Chen observed attempts by third countries to disrupt the Olympic torch procession have boosted Chinese nationalism and "love of China" among ordinary Chinese. Boycotting the Olympics will hurt the morale of athletes from around the world, but the silver lining "is that it will allow more Chinese to attend the Olympics," Chen stated. End Summary. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Paving Way for Hu Visit -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will visit Japan April 17-20 to pave the way for President Hu Jintao's May visit to Japan. FM Yang will meet with Prime Minister Fukuda, Foreign Minister Koumura, and the heads of the LDP, Komeito, and opposition Democratic Party of Japan before heading to Osaka and Nara, Chen stated. When asked if Yang would discuss joint gas field development in the East China Sea during his meetings, Chen explained Yang will discuss it briefly, but emphasized the purpose of the trip is to lay the groundwork for Hu's visit in May. Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka visited Beijing on April 14-15 to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, but did not make progress on resolving the East China Sea dispute. Chief Cabinet Secretary Machimura told the press on April 16 that talks on East China Sea joint development might continue until immediately before President Hu arrives in Japan. President Hu's May Visit to Japan -------------- ¶3. (C) Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to arrive in Japan on May 6. It will be the first time a Chinese president has visited Japan in ten years. Hu will meet with Prime Minister Fukuda, Foreign Minister Koumura, and the heads of the LDP, Komeito, and DPJ. He will give a speech at Waseda University on May 8, attend a ceremony for "Japan-China Youth Exchange Year," and will make a side trip to Nara and Osaka to attend cultural events. ¶4. (C) Fukuda and Hu will discuss joint development in the East China Sea and food security but these topics will not dominate the agenda. Friction with China over the incident involving pesticide-contaminated dumplings imported from China to Japan have decreased and this is now being handled at the working level, Chen added. When asked if China and Japan had reached a consensus on whether to release a new joint communiqu, Chen said this is still being negotiated. Prime Minister Fukuda is also expected to raise Tibet. Despite some remaining differences, China's ties with Japan have really improved, and Hu's trip to Japan is aimed at celebrating this positive change, Chen said. Chen added that a successful Hu visit will be a foreign policy victory for Fukuda, but it will probably not boost his low support rate since the Japanese public is much more concerned about domestic issues. Tibet, Torch Relay, and Olympic Games -------------- TOKYO 00001075 002.2 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Turning to Tibet and the demonstrations surrounding the Olympic torch relay, Chen noted that it is up to local police force to ensure the safety of the Olympic torch and to prevent demonstrators from interfering with the relay. Chen emphasized that the torch relay in Africa had gone smoothly and blamed the United States and France for allowing demonstrators to disrupt the relay in Paris and San Francisco. Europe and the United States have intelligence organizations capable of identifying individuals with a history of inciting discord and could have prevented the torch relay disruptions, she explained. The Olympic torch will arrive in Japan next week and there will be a relay in Nagano on April 26. Nagano City canceled one event in front of the Minami Sports Park over concern about protests, according to the Japanese press. ¶6. (C) Western media coverage of the torch relay demonstrations had an anti-Chinese bias, and was unfair and unbalanced, Chen asserted. The western press failed to show approximately one thousand Chinese proudly waving the Chinese flag with signs supporting "One China, One Dream." International criticism of Beijing's handling of Tibet, the torch relay demonstrations, and unfair press coverage have fueled a sense of Chinese nationalism among ordinary Chinese and increased feelings of "love of China," Chen noted. Chinese people have responded by criticizing western media organizations such as CNN and bloggers have been active in criticizing BBC, she stated. ¶7. (C) China will welcome Fukuda if he would like to attend the Olympics' opening ceremony, Chen said. The morale of third country athletes will suffer if their leaders boycott, Chen added. On the positive side, if third countries choose to boycott the Olympics, it will free up tickets so more Chinese can observe the games, she noted. China has worked so hard to prepare for a successful Olympics, yet it is difficult for ordinary citizens to obtain tickets to the events, she stated. ¶8. (C) Contrary to western media reports, Beijing is willing to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama, Chen explained. Beijing has already had multiple rounds of dialogue with the Dalai Lama's representatives and stands ready to continue discussions. Beijing opposes the Dalai Lama's efforts to "expand Tibet." China's Tibet Autonomous Region currently accounts for one-sixth of China's land area and the Dalai Lama wants to expand this to one-fourth of China's territory and force Han Chinese and other non-Tibetans to relocate outside the region, she charged. According to Chen, the Dalai Lama's definition of "autonomous" is the same as "independence" and this is unacceptable. ¶9. (C) When asked if there have been a lot of demonstrations outside the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo on Tibet, Chen noted that most of the demonstrations over Tibet in Japan have been held in parks or other public places. There have not been many directly outside the embassy. The Political Section at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo receives almost 100 protest letters via fax on a daily basis, Chen said. The protest letters are not all related to Tibet, however. Members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement silently demonstrate outside the embassy on a daily basis. There has been an uptick in demonstrations criticizing China's failure to cooperate fully with the UN on Burma, she added. SCHIEFFER