SOMALI PIRACY: CHINA INVITED TO ATTEND CGPCS

UNCLAS BEIJING 001280 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR PM/PPA: DAVID FORAN, AIYAZ HUSAIN, DONNA HOPKINS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHSA MARR MOPS CH SO SUBJECT: SOMALI PIRACY: CHINA INVITED TO ATTEND CGPCS MEETING REF: A. STATE 45157 ¶B. BEIJING 1168 ¶1. (SBU) China will send a delegation of officials from the MFA, Ministry of National Defense (MND) and Ministry of Transportation to attend the May 29 meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS),MFA International Organizations and Conferences Department UN Affairs Division official Cheng Lie told PolOff May 11 in response to reftel points encouraging China's active participation in the CGPCS meeting. Cheng, who attended the May 8 CGPCS Working Group meeting in London, said China had submitted a proposal at the meeting to improve military coordination but noted no agreement had been reached on the Chinese proposal. He had no substantive response regarding the May 29 plenary session, commenting that China was closely studying the U.S.-proposed agenda and working on China's own concrete proposals for the meeting. PICCUTA