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 -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶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