MEDIA REACTION: U.S. - CHINA RELATIONS

UNCLAS BEIJING 002160 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 PREL ECON KMDR CH SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. - CHINA RELATIONS -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. U.S. - CHINA RELATIONS a. "Ma Ying-Jeou's reply to Hu Jintao triggers speculation" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) (07/29): "KMT Chairman Ma Ying-Jeou's taking office is beneficial for the improvement of cross-strait relations. However, cross-strait relations also face three challenges. The first challenge is from the KMT internally. Some KMT members are prone to an independent Taiwan and intend to internationally legitamize the 'Republic of China' and create a 'government-to-government' situation. Second, is an anti-Ma Ying-Jeou attitude from the Democratic Progressive Party. The third challenge is from the international community, primarily the U.S. and Japan. They are afraid that an improvement in cross-strait relations will make the Taiwan Strait into an inland sea in China. The focus of U.S. policy on Taiwan may shift from 'anti-Taiwan independence' to 'anti-China unification.' Taiwan's political situation is uncertain, and its political party politics are still unstable. The development of cross-strait relations will largely rely on the increased power of the mainland. This is also the most important factor for the promotion of Taiwan's reunification with the motherland." b. "Japan allowed the 'female advocate for Xinjiang independence' entry" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) (07/29): "China should possess a tool to contain Japan and other countries that take unfriendly moves against China. Since China is getting stronger and stronger, the space for cultivating such a tool is getting bigger and bigger. The most important thing is to have diplomatic determination. We must be clear that a friendly relationship with Japan is not only up for negotiation but is also fighting. Beijing scholar Wang Xiaodong said that 'since Japan and the United States could disregard the crimes of Kadeer, openly supporting the enemy of China, China should also refuse to recognize the people identified as terrorists by Japan and the U.S. and instead support these countries' enemies. China is now a major power. It should be able to create the political means to contain other major powers. The reason the United States is powerful, to some extent, is because it has many means to deal with other countries." c. "Sino-U.S. relations must abandon the historical game" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) (07/29): "There are people, both in China and the United States, worrying that each will win less and lose more in the game between the two powers. Nowadays, the Sino-U.S. relationship is far more mature than it has been in the past. But mature does not mean a mega-scale high-level exchange, nor does it mean a broad-range communication scheme, but it means mutual trust. The foundation of the Sino-U.S. relationship is still not solid; the reason being a lack of mutual trust. Hostility is fading away. However, suspicion is still there. The greatest test of the future Sino-U.S. relationship is whether the two countries will avoid a zero sum competition between big powers. The two countries need to make a constant effort to avoid this type of game, and succeed in their great experiment, by leveraging the trust that they have accumulated over the past 30 years." GOLDBERG