MEDIA REACTION: ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY, RUSSIA

UNCLAS BEIJING 002079 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: ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY, RUSSIA -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. ENVIRONMENT "'Post-crisis' economy has a new engine: green industries" The official Communist Party international paper, People's Daily Overseas Edition (Renmin Ribao Haiwaiban) (07/21):" Zhong Maochu, a professor at Nankai University's Graduate School of Economics said various indications show that America and other developed countries are actively laying pieces out to create a game in their favor. The U.S. is pushing the world to adopt "clean energy" as the engine of economic growth. The U.S.'s ultimate goal is to gain a dominate position this new round of economic competition. Zhong said the wave of "green economy" is irreversible so China needs to take the initiative to participate in the research and development of core technologies and standard setting. Zhong is also concerned that "clean energy" or "the green economy" will become a new mode of economic growth and treated like IT technology and financial innovation, which are merely tools of high profits and high growth. China needs to be aware that developed countries including the U.S. are seeking a monopoly in this new game. China should help form a fair system to prevent developed countries exploiting developing countries. " ¶2. MILITARY "The first island chain cannot lock in the Chinese Navy" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(07/21): "As the Chinese Navy develops, the U.S. and Japanese illusion of being "the first island chain" in the western Pacific becomes stronger and stronger. They always have this "illusion of containment." "The first island chain" is completely a Cold War product by the Americans. It refers to a curved line hemming in China that runs from Japan through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Indonesia. During the Cold War it was regarded as the U.S.'s first line of defense. This idea is poisonous to Eastern Asia's security atmosphere and this illusion, so full of hostility, has become a major obstacle for a new security landscape in this region. "The first island chain" will not stop China from maintaining its strategic goal of national unity. The U.S.- Japan alliance should get accustomed to the development of the Chinese Navy. According to scholar Gao Hong, "The first island chain" can only increase the confidence of the alliance and nothing more. " ¶3. RUSSIA "Central and Eastern European countries are concerned over the "resumption" of the U.S.-Russia relationship" The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming Ribao) (07/21): "In the view of Central and Eastern European countries, the Obama Administration is no longer supportive of Ukrainian and Georgian efforts to join NATO because America wants to pacify Russia. The U.S. is actually taking Central and Eastern European nations' concerns into account. The U.S. won't give in to Russian pressure and through this gesture hopefully Central and Eastern European nations won't feel abandoned. U.S. Vice President Biden's visit to Ukraine and Georgia is also aimed at consoling their morale. The interruption of Central and Eastern Europe- U.S. relations is to Russia's advantage. As a result, Russia made a series of compromises during Obama's visit to Moscow. Whether they like it or not, the "resumption" of Russia- U.S. relationship is a hard fact that Central and Eastern European countries have to accept. " GOLDBERG