MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, H1N1, U.S. POLICY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001310

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007)
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR CH PREL ECON

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, H1N1, U.S. POLICY

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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS

"The U.S. radical voice offends China"

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(05/15): "Is it possible that the Chinese
Intelligence Institute is better than the CIA? It must be the case
because, yesterday the U.S. released the news that Pentagon
officials sold information to China. It seems that the world rarely
hears about the U.S. conducting any intelligence activities in
China. The real reason for this is that China doesn't speak up when
it arrests U.S. or Western spies. However, even if China doesn't
arrest any spies, the U.S. and the west have fabricated stories for
the media to report indicating that the Chinese have arrested
individuals. Obama has implemented a more practical China policy.
Unfortunately he has received continuous criticism from inside the
U.S. It is worrisome that U.S.-China policy could be influenced in
the future. The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated
that the U.S.' accusation is completely baseless and suggests that
they have ulterior goals. Chinese experts indicate that
conservatives in the U.S. have always been diplomatically
anti-communist. Their offensive behaviors towards China will
continue, but these behaviors will not influence bilateral
relations."


2. H1N1

a. "The U.S. should not ignore other countries when fighting against
the flu"

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(05/15): "Ten days ago, the U.S. became the
country with the highest rate of affected people. The numbers
affected have exceeded that of Mexico. This brings doubts to the
U.S. flu containment system. The U.S. has the most international
people coming and going than all other countries. A large number of
Americans are visiting other countries, which may not have medical
facilities as advanced as the U.S. does. The U.S needs to think
more about the situations in other countries and adjust their
prevention measures. They need to take the necessary actions to
prevent the affected person from leaving their borders. This is the
best time to test the Obama administration's determination to become
a responsible model for the world."

b. "Halt virus at its epicenter"

Global Times English (English-language daily published by the
People's Daily)(05/15): "North America's three countries - Canada,
the U.S. and Mexico - have the largest number of confirmed cases of
swine flu in the world, raising concerns about the effectiveness of
their containment efforts. The U.S. in particular has a lot to do,
with the virus spreading rapidly. The number of people being
infected has soared quickly and three people have died. Compared
with other countries, which are in high gear to combat the swine
flu, the U.S. public seems indifferent to the danger. The American
government and media have taken a low-key approach to dealing with
the flu. Considering its global business interactions, the U.S. in
particular is at risk of spreading the virus to other countries,
including many that have only poor healthcare systems. At the
moment, life in the U.S. is continuing much as before, with
Americans traveling as widely and often as usual. But the impact of
swine flu can be disastrous for countries without proper
preventative systems. Few countries can afford the expensive
healthcare system the U.S. enjoys. China has taken exhaustive
measures to track down all of the people who traveled with the two
swine flu victims. A few are still missing, posing a risk to the
rest of the population. Pandemics have no boundaries. The U.S.
should not ignore warnings the WHO has issued for the entire
world."


3. U.S. POLICY

"The unchanged core concept"

The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao)(05/15):
"The U.S. Department of State recently issued a report listing Cuba,
Iran, Syria and the Sudan as countries that support terrorism. When
comparing the mild and practical changes on other issues, this
report, which is different from the theme of 'change' that Obama
advocated earlier, reflects that the U.S.' diplomatic core concepts
remain unchanged. The U.S. has changed the way it realizes its
goals, without changing its strategy. It is the working style of
the U.S. that has changed, but diplomatically and traditionally, the
U.S. has not changed. The concepts and guideline of the two U.S.
governing parties have changed little. The core concepts of U.S.

BEIJING 00001310 002 OF 002


diplomacy will not change simply because the U.S. adjusts its
tactics."

WASHINGTON