Senior Hu Advisor Zheng Bijian Organizing China-U.S. Clean

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 002126 STATE FOR EAP/CM-HABJAN, EAP/CM, EAP/PD-STOLTZ STATE FOR OES DAS MIOTKE, OES/EGC, OES/ENV, AND OES/PCI STATE FOR S/SECC-STERN, S/P-GREEN, EEB, AND ECA STATE PASS TO CEQ SUTLEY USDOE FOR INTERNATIONAL USDOC FOR MAC AND MAS USDOC PASS USPTO FOR WU EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL/MKASMAN/GIANNINI-SPOHN NSC FOR LOI, SHRIER SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OVIP PREL PGOV ECON PARM MARR SENV ENRG KGHG CH SUBJECT: Senior Hu Advisor Zheng Bijian Organizing China-U.S. Clean Energy Strategic Forum, Invites Secretaries Chu, Locke Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Professor ZHENG Bijian, a senior advisor to China's president Hu Jintao, met with the U.S. Energy Secretary Chu and U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke, during their recent trip to China. Zheng's primary aim during the brief lunch meeting was to solicit the attendance of the two Secretaries at a China-U.S. clean energy strategic forum, which Zheng is planning in conjunction with the Brookings Institute. Zheng said the forum will take place in Beijing and will be held in late October but he did not provide an exact date. [NOTE: Zheng is the former Executive Vice-President of the Communist Party Central Committee Party School, where all top Chinese leaders are groomed before assuming their official government positions. When President Hu Jintao served as head of the Party School, he worked closely with Zheng to develop China's major policy themes and initiatives. From Deng Xiaoping's initial reform policies to his present status as the author of China's most recent guiding principle encapsulated in the phrase "Peaceful Rise" or "Peaceful Development," Zheng has been close to Chinese decisionmaking for more than twenty years. END NOTE.] Zheng Expounds on "China's Peaceful Rise" -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Zheng stated the concept of China's peaceful rise in the twenty-first century--a concept he is credited with developing--is widely endorsed by China's leadership and accepted among the Chinese people. The most important aspect of peaceful rise, according to Zheng, is managing China's relations with the United States. He also said that China faces three great challenges: access to resources, energy being the priority; environmental protection and addressing air and water pollution; and finally economic and social development. History has shown that among these challenges, the energy question "must be handled most carefully as to avoid the eruption of conflict." Zheng said that the emphasis the new U.S. Administration is putting on clean energy cooperation with China is enhancing stability between our two countries, particularly with respect to the question of energy access. ¶3. (SBU) In addressing the above three challenges, Zheng warned that U.S. and Chinese leaders also must avoid the "three mindsets": old colonialism (resource wars were rife during colonial times); old imperialism; and old cold war mentality. China-U.S. Clean Energy Strategic Forum -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Zheng stated that he had written a letter to China's Premier WEN Jiaobao on February 20 proposing the China-U.S. Partnership on Clean Energy Strategic Forum. Wen responded the next day in support of the forum and ordered all relevant government departments to support this effort, according to Zheng. The forum is tentatively scheduled for late October but Zheng did not provide BEIJING 00002126 002 OF 002 a more specific date. Zheng said his hope is that through the forum, the U.S. and China will emerge with a clear convergence on strategy for clean energy cooperation. Moreover, Zheng hopes the forum will be a good prelude to a possible Obama-Hu meeting in November and to the Copenhagen climate change negotiations in December. ¶5. (SBU) In order for the forum to be a success, Zheng said it requires support at the most senior levels of government thus he is asking both Secretary Chu and Secretary Locke to return to China in October to address the forum. Zheng said China's Vice Premier LI Keqiang will host the event, which he promised will not be "a talk shop", but will produce real pragmatic results and establish a new "partnership for the 21st century." ¶6. (SBU) Secretary Chu and Secretary Locke thanked Zheng for his long service to the Chinese people and said that given the U.S. President's commitment to clean energy, the invitations will be given the most serious consideration. Secretary Chu suggested that in order for the forum to be successful, all voices should be heard, including those of representatives from industry, academia, and non-governmental organizations. He also noted the importance of including U.S. and Chinese climate change negotiators in the conference. Secretary Chu said the U.S. is ready to reduce its appetite for energy and intends to lead the world in reducing carbon emissions. He also said that it is the right of every country to pursue standards of living similar to those of the U.S. but in order to do this without further damaging the planet, we must develop new infrastructure (buildings, transport, power generation) that consumes much less energy and does not change the climate. ¶7. (SBU) Secretary Locke told Zheng that while the debate over who is at fault for global warming goes on, the planet is running out of time. The U.S. and China should work together to lead the developed and developing countries respectively in producing clean energy solutions. This has the potential to create jobs and opportunities for both countries, but Secretary Locke warned that protectionist policies that unfairly favor Chinese companies will only delay the best technologies from making it to market. He hopes that China will embrace foreign technologies while also becoming a leader in exporting green technologies around the world. GOLDBERG