Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING2870
2009-10-14 11:14:00
SECRET
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

PRC: A/S CAMPBELL'S MEETING WITH VFM HE YAFEI

Tags:  PREL PGOV MARR KNNP MNUC SENV APEC KN KS CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9644
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2870/01 2871114
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 141114Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6440
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002870 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2034
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR KNNP MNUC SENV APEC KN KS CH
SUBJECT: PRC: A/S CAMPBELL'S MEETING WITH VFM HE YAFEI

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002870

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2034
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR KNNP MNUC SENV APEC KN KS CH
SUBJECT: PRC: A/S CAMPBELL'S MEETING WITH VFM HE YAFEI

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.
4 (b/d).


1. (S) Summary: China appreciates that President Obama plans
to spend three days in China and hopes the visit will produce
concrete results, China's Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told
EAP A/S Campbell October 13. China also hopes for a joint
statement that will send a positive message that the U.S. and
China are working together on major issues, and that the
relationship is on the right track. The announcement that
President Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama in the future
was a "shock" to China, VFM He claimed, and the U.S. should
not underestimate the importance of the Tibet issue to China.
VFM He urged the U.S. to engage in bilateral discussions
with North Korea as a way to return to the Six-Party Talks
framework. China welcomes expanded bilateral education
exchanges and can reciprocate with even larger numbers of
students traveling to the U.S. to study. On trade, both
sides must resist protectionist pressures that might
undermine mutual trust. VFM He assessed that international
climate change negotiations are going poorly, drawing greater
focus onto the U.S. and China's positions. APEC is also
performing poorly, and discussions at the upcoming APEC
summit on its future will be important. VFM He noted that
China does not wish to see the U.S. excluded from Asian
regional architecture concepts. China attaches importance to
bilateral space cooperation, including a visit by the NASA
administrator. Finally, VFM He urged the resumption of the
launch of U.S. satellites on Chinese rockets. End Summary.

Presidential Visit
--------------


2. (S) A/S Campbell began the October 13 meeting with VFM He
Yafei by underscoring that, in preparing for the next stage
of the U.S.-China relationship, it was important to arrange
the best possible presidential visit in November. Despite

the considerable domestic pressures that had caused the
President to limit other aspects of his Asia visit, he
planned to spend a large amount of time in China. This was a
reflection of his commitment to the relationship and of his
desire to "get off to a good start." The substantive results
of the visit would be, of course, the most important aspect,
but we also needed to find the right "phrases and concepts"
to characterize our relationship.


4. (S) VFM He responded that China "appreciates the length of
the visit." In preparation, we should focus on some of the
difficulties and obstacles, as these could lead to progress.
What "worries China the most" was how to deal with sensitive
issues during and after the Obama visit. China looked for
concrete results from the visit, but would need "a piece of
paper" that will send a positive message that the U.S. and
China are working together on the major issues, and that our
relationship is on the right track.

China's "Core Interests: Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang
-------------- ---


5. (S) A/S Campbell noted that China referred to Taiwan,
Tibet and Xinjiang as among its "core interests." Some of
these issues would best be left outside of the visit
communique and restricted instead to our political dialogues,
Campbell suggested. The U.S. welcomed the positive steps
China had taken on Taiwan, and when we met with the Taiwan
authorities, we reassured them that we supported this
peaceful cross-Strait dialogue. On Tibet, China should note
that we took no position on calls by Tibetan exiles for a
semi-autonomous region. Finally, on Xinjiang, since the July
difficulties, we had taken a very careful stance. The U.S.
understood that these issues were very important to China,
but they had significance to us, too, so China had to be
careful not to "paint us into a corner," A/S Campbell warned.


6. (S) VFM He replied that the principles on all three of
these issues were clear, but how we handled them was still
important. China raised them not simply to please some
domestic constituency, but because they bore upon China's
sovereignty and territorial integrity. The announcement that
President Obama would meet with the Dalai Lama at the end of
the year "came as a shock to us," VFM He said. The U.S.
characterized meetings between the Dalai Lama and the
President as "a tradition." The Dalai Lama was a political
exile and the leader of an organization that wanted to
"dismember" China, VFM averred.

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


7. (S) On North Korea, A/S Campbell explained that the U.S.
was willing to engage the DPRK in bilateral dialogue, but our
desire was for the DPRK to return to the Six-Party Talks.
Within the Six-Party Talks, we could continue bilateral

BEIJING 00002870 002 OF 003


discussions. First meetings with the North Koreans "can be
difficult," and it was in neither U.S. nor Chinese interest
for such a meeting to come shortly before the President's
visit, A/S Campbell explained.


8. (S) VFM He replied that "we have been doing our best" to
bring the DPRK back to the Six-Party Talks. As the U.S now
had the opportunity to engage the DPRK, it should do so.
"Start a dialogue, see what they can offer, and then return
to the comprehensive Six-Party Talks framework," VFM He
advised.

Educational Exchanges
--------------


9. (C) A/S Campbell explained the U.S. proposal for a new
program that would double the number of U.S. students
studying in China over the next four years to 100,000. VFM
He replied that China appreciated the idea and that, in
principle, the students would be welcomed. China could
reciprocate, but the number of students would be much larger.
VFM He referred A/S Campbell to a proposal made by State
Counselor Liu Yandong to Secretary Clinton that the two
countries develop a larger "humanities exchange" framework.

Trade Issues
--------------


10. (S) VFM He raised "trade and protectionism" as key issues
to China. After 30 years of engagement, the U.S.-China
economic relationship was solid, "but we must not do anything
to undermine this." While China's trade with other countries
was dropping, in the latest figures it continued to rise, if
slightly, with the United States. There was strong pressure
on both sides to adopt protectionist trade measures. The
tire safeguards case had been "a bitter lesson" for China.
We had to guard against new protectionist measures or risk
undermining our mutual confidence. A/S Campbell replied that
the U.S. was clear about China's position. Both sides had to
continue to engage on these issues, not least through the
SnED.

Climate Change
--------------


11. (S) VFM He said climate change would be "the number one
or number two topic" at the presidential meeting, and that
the whole world would be watching for results. People were
saying that the climate negotiations were "off track,"
putting an even greater focus on what the U.S. and China put
forward. The Danes and French had suggested advancing
political negotiations for Copenhagen because the technical
track was failing. A/S Campbell said that, in his personal
view, climate change was the biggest threat to the human
race. There was pressure on us both to succeed.

Asian Regional Architecture
--------------


12. (S) Addressing Asian regional architecture, VFM He said
that China saw the U.S. role in Asia as important and would
do nothing to exclude it. At the same time, the U.S. had to
respect China's interests. At the upcoming APEC meeting,
APEC's future would be on the agenda. "APEC is not really
working," VFM He averred. "It is mostly a platform for
bilateral meetings." VFM He noted suggestions that the U.S.
join in the East Asian Summit, and Dr. Kissinger's proposal
for a "Cross-Asia Community."


13. (S) A/S Campbell agreed that APEC was not performing
well, noting it should have been in the lead in dealing with
the economic crisis. There had been a proliferation of
dialogues in recent years. The G20 had been a major step
forward in shifting the global architecture away from
strictly Europe and toward Asia. The U.S. and China should
have dialogue on multilateral organization building in Asia.
Any new bodies should be pan-Pacific, not Pan-Asian, A/S
Campbell urged. VFM He agreed.

Space Cooperation
--------------


14. (S) VFM He raised aerospace cooperation, noting that the
director of NASA might visit China. Perhaps through such
cooperation we could send astronauts together to the moon, he
commented. One more immediate step the U.S. could take,
however, would be resuming permission for U.S. satellites to
be launched on Chinese platforms. If legal hurdles prevented
this, we could go back to the most recent understanding, on
which satellite launches had been approved on a case-by-case
basis, VFM He noted. A/S Campbell agreed that space could be
an area for cooperation and pledged to contact the director
of NASA upon his return to Washington.

BEIJING 00002870 003 OF 003




15. (U) The delegation cleared this message.
HUNTSMAN