NATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING COMMISSION URGES GREATER

1. (SBU) At the request of the National Population and Family
Planning Commission (NPFPC), ESTHOffs met with Deputy Director
General (DDG) of International Cooperation Madam RU Xiaomei on July
31 to share current USG views on international family planning and
related policy toward China. ESTHOFF relayed points provided in REF
A to inform NPFPC of USG's funding constraints vis-`-vis the UN
Population Fund (UNFPA) and China, and to share the larger context
of U.S. concerns about coercive practices carried out as a result of
China's family planning policies. NPFPC briefed ESTHOffs on recent
developments in China's family planning system and called upon the
USG to exchange views on these issues more frequently.



2. (SBU) Ru noted that the Chinese government has made many
improvements in its family planning policy, with the goal of
shifting the policy toward a more incentive- and service-based
approach. She also stated that the policy has in recent years
evolved from its previously narrower focus on controlling population
size, and now seeks to address related demographic issues like
aging, migrants, and gender equity.



3. (SBU) Ru attributed much of the progress China has made in family
planning to its numerous bilateral and multilateral partnerships and
programs in this area, for example, with Japan, Korea, Spain,
Australia, and with UNFPA. Citing recent statements by USG
officials that the United States would again take a leading role in
global family planning, Ru called the decision by the USG to reduce
its contribution to UNFPA (originally USD 50 million) by the
estimated amount UNFPA provides to programs in China (USD 4 million)
"unwise." She urged the United States to engage actively with China
in its family planning efforts and to "come see activities on the
ground," rather than "stand on the outside and criticize." Ru added
that this would be "the best way" to help China modernize and
improve implementation of its family planning policy.



4. (SBU) Ending the meeting on a more positive note, DDG Ru thanked
ESTHOff for sharing the Administration's views and expressed hope
that the meeting would be a new start to continued dialogue and
communication between China and the United States on population and
family planning. (NOTE: The last time a USG official met with
NPFPC in Beijing to discuss family planning was at the Deputy
Assistant Secretary level in March 2007 (REF B), and later in
September 2007, at the Deputy Office Director level. END NOTE)



5. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite DDG Ru's obvious disappointment with the
USG's decision to prohibit UNFPA from using U.S. contributions for
its activities in China, she nevertheless received ESTHOffs
enthusiastically and was eager to share with the Embassy (and
Washington) in detail what she clearly believed to be improvements
in the Chinese family planning system. NPFPC likely would be just
as responsive to any additional requests for information or dialogue
that Washington may put forth in the near future. END COMMENT.


GOLDBERG