Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING1428
2009-05-29 09:03:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

CODEL PELOSI MAY 27 MEETING WITH PRC PRESIDENT HU

Tags:  PREL MARR MOPS PARM MNUC PBTS PTER PGOV CH KN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5646
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 290903Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4184
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001428 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2034
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PARM MNUC PBTS PTER PGOV CH KN
SUBJECT: CODEL PELOSI MAY 27 MEETING WITH PRC PRESIDENT HU
JINTAO

Classified By: Political Officer Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001428

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP AND EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2034
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PARM MNUC PBTS PTER PGOV CH KN
SUBJECT: CODEL PELOSI MAY 27 MEETING WITH PRC PRESIDENT HU
JINTAO

Classified By: Political Officer Dan Kritenbrink. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) Summary: In a May 27 meeting with CODEL Pelosi,
Chinese President Hu Jintao noted that China hoped that the
developed world would take the lead on climate change by
providing financial assistance and technical support to
developing countries but admitted the developing countries
had a responsibility to take a positive stance on sustainable
development. Hu expressed hope that the United States and
China would enhance cooperation in energy conservation, clean
energy and other areas and promised to work with the
international community to make the Copenhagen climate change
meeting a success. Speaker Pelosi told Hu that, to fight
climate change effectively, China would have to become more
open, more transparent and more willing to provide
environmental justice to citizens. Noting that human rights
is an important issue in our relationship, she expressed hope
that China would become more open. Hu told the Speaker that
China had expressed its serious concerns over the DRPK's
nuclear test and had urged North Korea to refrain from making
any additional moves to worsen the situation. He said China
wished to continue communication and coordination with the
United States on the DPRK issue. End Summary.


2. (U) Participants:

U.S.
--------------

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA)
Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Charge d'Affaires, a.i., Dan Piccuta
Mr. Paul Pelosi
Mrs. Cheryl Sensenbrenner
Mr. Jon Blumenauer
Mrs. Trudi Inslee
Wyndee Parker, National Security Advisor to the Speaker

Mr. Wilson Livingood, House Sergeant at Arms
Karen Wayland, Policy Advisor to the Speaker
Jonathan Stivers, Policy Advisor to the Speaker
Gerry Waldron, Professional Staff Member
Thomas Schriebel, Professional staff
Jim Brown, interpreter
Mark Lambert, notetaker

Chinese Participants
--------------
President Hu Jintao
Chairman of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee (and former
Foreign Minister) Li Zhaoxing
Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei
MFA DG Zheng Zeguang
19 Others

We Need to Work Together to Save the Planet
--------------


3. (SBU) Speaker Pelosi began the meeting by noting China's
impressive accomplishments in lifting hundreds of millions
out of poverty and retaking a leading role on the world
stage. She noted that it would take the concerted effort of
China and the United States to save the planet and told
President Hu that China had a huge responsibility. The
Speaker then turned to her fellow Representatives, giving
them an opportunity to speak.

Congressman Markey: We Must Live in the Same World
-------------- --------------


4. (SBU) Representative Markey underscored the fact that
China and the United States shared the same planet and had to
work together. Congress was working to move forward
significant legislation to end "eight years of inaction on
climate change policy." "Speaker Pelosi and President Obama
are giving our nation new leadership, and this new direction
will hopefully allow us to work with China," he said. Noting
that the world was "running a fever" and that there were "no
emergency rooms for countries," Markey said it was important
that the United States work with China but equally important
that China signal its willingness to work with the United

BEIJING 00001428 002 OF 003


States.

Congressman Sensenbrenner: Bipartisan Effort Needed
-------------- --------------


5. (SBU) Pointing out that he was the only Republican on the
delegation, Congressman Sensenbrenner told President Hu about
his long involvement in the climate change process and his
appreciation for the China's delegations at international
climate change fora always taking the time to brief him.
Acknowledging that the United States and China both had
national interests, Sensenbrenner said that it was time for
both parties, the United States and China, to match their
national interests with their international obligations. "If
the Copenhagen meeting in December is to be successful, we
must work together," he declared.

Congressman Blumenauer: Match Rural Development with Climate
Change
-------------- --------------


6. (SBU) Congressman Blumenauer praised China's work in
lifting 400 million persons out of poverty while
acknowledging the daunting work remaining to be done as China
developed its rural areas and extended services to those
regions. He asked President Hu how China planned to meet its
obligations to China's rural poor while reducing its carbon
footprint and combating air and water pollution. Blumenauer
suggested that there were numerous opportunities in areas
like agriculture and clean water for creative collaboration
between China and the United States that would help Chinese
leaders meet their responsibilities to citizens and meet
China's climate change obligations.

Congressman Inslee: Harmony
--------------


7. (SBU) Congressman Inslee told President Hu that the trip
was his first to China and that, while visiting the Forbidden
City, he had been struck by an inscription on a pavilion
calling for the harmonious operation of all things on earth.
Noting that China could not succeed if the United States did
not succeed, Inslee called on Hu to leave a harmonious legacy
for his people. Explaining that Congress was wrestling with
how best to move forward on climate change, Inslee asked Hu
to instruct his experts to brief Congress regularly to help
them make wise decisions.

Hu Responds: 30 Years of Progress
--------------


8. (SBU) Noting that 2009 represented the 30th anniversary of
Sino-American diplomatic relations, Hu described the dramatic
increase in trade, travel and policy initiatives linking
China and the United States. These closer ties, he added,
benefitted the citizens of both countries and the peace and
stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Hu
expressed confidence that bilateral relations would continue
to prosper and described his agreement with President Obama
to create a positive, cooperative and comprehensive
relationship.


9. (SBU) President Hu added that China and the United States
would not always see eye-to-eye, but so long as leaders in
both countries kept a strategic and long-term view on
relations and operated with mutual respect and agreed not to
interfere in the internal matters of the other, relations
would deepen.

Hu on Climate Change
--------------


9. (SBU) Hu echoed points made by Premier Wen Jiabao (septel)
and others about China's policy on climate change. He
acknowledged that combating climate change was important to
the well-being of mankind and later generations. But, he
stressed, the solution would take work by the international
community as a whole. China supported the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) and Kyoto Protocol
position on common but differentiated responsibilities, and
Hu expressed hope that the developed world would take the
lead by providing financial assistance and technical support
to developing countries. At the same time, Hu admitted, the
developing countries had a responsibility to take a positive

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stance on sustainable development. Hu briefed the delegation
on China's legislation under the present five-year plan to
reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP and reduce
pollutants and suggested that despite the global economic
crisis, China would not slacken its efforts.

Cooperation on Energy
--------------


10. (SBU) Hu expressed hope that the United States and China
would enhance cooperation in energy conservation, renewables,
new and clean energy and identify specific areas for new
bilateral cooperation. President Hu promised to work with
the international community to make the Copenhagen meeting a
success.

Rural Development
--------------


11. (SBU) Turning to Congressman Blumenauer's questions,
President Hu explained China's enormous domestic challenges,
stating that the urban-rural gap was the most serious. He
described China's 800 million rural dwellers, their lack of
infrastructure and modernization, and stated that economic
development would continue to be China's top priority. He
described his commitment to build up rural infrastructure,
promote science and technology in the countryside, improve
social services, and enhance education and health services.
Hu spent some time explaining China's bio-gas development,
highlighting the need to expand that program.

The Speaker Responds: We Need More Openness
--------------


12. (SBU) Turning to the global economic situation, the
Speaker assured Hu that Congress was committed to reducing
the deficit and keeping spending down. Linking climate
change to human rights, Speaker Pelosi told President Hu that
to fight climate change effectively, all nations, China
included, would have to become more open, more transparent
and more willing to provide environmental justice to
citizens.

Human Rights are Important
--------------


13. (SBU) Segueing to human rights, Speaker Pelosi told
President Hu that human rights were an important issue in our
relationship and expressed her hope that China would become
more open. President Hu in response said that China was
willing to continue its human rights dialogue with the United
States on the basis of equality, mutual respect and
non-interference in internal matters. Hu told the Speaker
that the human rights of the Chinese people had improved as
China's economy developed and suggested that this trend would
continue.

North Korea
--------------


14. (C) Turning to the DPRK, Speaker Pelosi noted the need
for China's leadership in the UN and in the Six-Party Talks
and urged President Hu to make a firm response to the DPRK
nuclear test. Hu told the Speaker that China had expressed
its serious concerns over the nuclear test and made clear to
the entire international community its firm opposition to the
DPRK's actions. China had also urged the DPRK to refrain
from making any additional moves to worsen the situation. As
to next steps, Hu noted that given the current complex and
delicate situation, all parties should react in a cool-headed
fashion and adhere to our shared goal of a denuclearized
Korean Peninsula. He said that China wished continue
communication and coordination with the United States on the
DPRK issue.


15. (U) Speaker Pelosi's delegation has cleared this cable.
PICCUTA