Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING2924
2009-10-22 03:13:00
SECRET
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

Tags:  OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MNUC CH KN 
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INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 002924 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR D, EAP, EAP/CM
PACOM FOR FPA PICCUTA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2029
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MNUC CH KN
IR
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
MEETING WITH PRC VICE PRESIDENT XI JINPING

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.4
(b/d).

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 002924

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR D, EAP, EAP/CM
PACOM FOR FPA PICCUTA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2029
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MNUC CH KN
IR
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 29, 2009
MEETING WITH PRC VICE PRESIDENT XI JINPING

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.4
(b/d).


1. (SBU) September 29, 2009; 4:45 pm; Great Hall of the
People; Beijing


2. (SBU) Participants:

U.S.
--------------
The Deputy Secretary
Amb. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Embassy Beijing
Joseph Donovan, EAP Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State
Rear Admiral Charles Leidig, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Amb. Joseph DeTrani, Mission Manager for North Korea, DNI
Amb. Sung Kim, Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks
Derek Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense
Pamela Park, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary
Graham Mayer, Embassy Political Officer (notetaker)
James Brown, Interpreter

CHINA
--------------
Vice President Xi Jinping
Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei
Zheng Zeguang, Director General, MFA Department of North
American and Oceanian Affairs
Zhang Kunsheng, Director General, MFA Department of Protocol
Ding Xiaowen, Deputy Director General, MFA Department of
North American and Oceanian Affairs
Ma Jisheng Deputy Director General, MFA Public Affairs
Department


3. (S) SUMMARY: During a September 29 meeting with PRC Vice
President Xi Jinping, the Deputy Secretary said the upcoming
visit to China by President Obama would demonstrate U.S.
commitment to working with China to address global
challenges. VP Xi said China was pleased that U.S.-China
relations had maintained positive momentum during the
transition to a new Administration. This year of important
achievements in bilateral relations would culminate in the
visit by President Obama. The U.S. and China had coordinated
well on regional and global challenges, and China sought to
develop closer practical cooperation, including in the areas
of counterterrorism, nonproliferation and energy, Xi said.
However, discussions of strategic security issues had to be
conditioned on "strategic mutual trust." For China this

meant respecting the core PRC interests related to
sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Taiwan,
Tibet and Xinjiang. The Deputy Secretary responded that the
U.S. "one China" policy had served the U.S. very well across
many Administrations and would continue to be a core
principle of bilateral relations. He stressed the importance
of dialogue, whether U.S.-China or cross-Strait. The U.S.
supported positive cross-Strait developments. Dialogue was
also the best option for addressing the Tibet issue. End
Summary.

China Welcomes President Obama Visit
--------------


4. (S) Vice President Xi thanked the Deputy Secretary for his
support for U.S.-China relations and noted that the November
visit by President Obama would contribute to the growth of
bilateral ties. VP Xi invited the Deputy Secretary to share
his views on bilateral relations and preparations for the
visit.

Positive Momentum in Bilateral Relations
--------------


5. (S) The Deputy Secretary extended, on behalf of the
Secretary, congratulations to China on the occasion of the
sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the PRC. He noted
that this year was also the thirtieth anniversary of the
normalization of ties between the U.S. and China and that the
upcoming visit by President Obama would show how remarkable
that relationship had become. Beginning with a telephone

BEIJING 00002924 002 OF 004


conversation with President Hu Jintao shortly after taking
office, through meetings in London, New York and Pittsburgh,
President Obama had demonstrated the importance he attached
to U.S.-China relations. The Secretary's visit to China, as
part of her first overseas trip after assuming office, also
reflected the importance the U.S. attached to bilateral
cooperation.

POTUS Visit Presents New Opportunities
--------------


6. (S) The Deputy Secretary noted that over the past thirty
years the United States and China had realized many
achievements. However the last eight months had been
particularly significant, as both counties had demonstrated
to the world the great potential inherent in our cooperation.
Both Presidents had made clear that in order to tackle big
problems, such as climate change, we had to work together.
Our Presidents also had cooperated in averting the dangers of
an economic crisis that had threatened the well-being of all
our citizens. During his visit to China, President Obama
would further demonstrate our commitment to working with
China to address global challenges and to showing the
leadership necessary to help all the world's people meet
their aspirations. The people of the world were looking to
the U.S. and China for leadership. The agreements that we
would reach and the warm relations that we would demonstrate
during the visit would show that we were up to these
challenges, the Deputy Secretary said.

Important Year for U.S.-China Relations
--------------


7. (S) Vice President Xi said this year had been a milestone
in bilateral relations. He noted that he had attended an
event commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the
normalization of diplomatic relations attended by President
Carter and Henry Kissinger and that the U.S. participants had
all agreed that U.S.-China ties were very important for both
countries. This realization, VP Xi said, showed that the
U.S. and China were not competitors but rather partners in
cooperation. China was pleased that, through joint efforts,
U.S.-China relations had maintained positive momentum during
the transition to a new Administration. VP Xi agreed that
President Obama and President Hu, over the course of their
exchanges, had reached "fresh, new common understandings."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and National People's Congress
(NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo had exchanged
visits this year, further deepening exchanges between the
legislatures. The inaugural round of the Strategic and
Economic Dialogue and President Obama's appointment of
Ambassador Huntsman also demonstrated the overall growth in
bilateral ties, VP Xi said.

Common Interests Inform Cooperation
--------------


8. (S) China sought to build a solid foundation for closer
ties through practical cooperation on a range of issues,
including counterterrorism, nonproliferation, energy, and
people-to-people and cultural exchanges, VP Xi continued.
The international and regional situation was very
complicated, and we faced an array of challenges to human
society. Both countries had maintained good communication
and coordination on regional hotspots including North Korea,
Iran and South Asia, as well as on global challenges such as
climate change and infectious disease. Our common interests
were the basis for the expanded cooperation, which we should
keep "up to date" and consistent with "changes in the times,"
Xi said.


9. (C) VP Xi said that the Chinese people, "including the man
on the street," all had positive expectations for U.S.-China
relations. During his visit to New York, President Hu had
commented to President Obama that good bilateral relations
were important not only for the peoples of the United States
and China, but also for the peace, prosperity and stability
of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. In this context,
China looked forward to the visit of President Obama as a
major event that would open a new page in U.S.-China

BEIJING 00002924 003 OF 004


relations. VP Xi said he was confident that preparatory
efforts would make the visit a success. He added that he
hoped the visit would be "magnificent."

China's Core Interests
--------------


10. (S) China hoped to maintain solid progress in practical
cooperation, VP Xi said, including on strategic security
issues. However, we would need to properly handle sensitive
issues and cultivate "strategic mutual trust." Both
countries had to respect each other's core interests and
major concerns. For the 1.4 billion Chinese people, Xi said,
this meant respecting China's sovereignty and territorial
integrity, including Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang.

Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang
--------------


11. (S) The Taiwan question touched on all China's core
interests, VP Xi said. China hoped the United States would
abide by the three Joint Communiques, oppose Taiwan
independence, not support Taiwan membership in international
organizations that required statehood for membership, not
sell weapons to Taiwan, refrain from upgrading U.S.-Taiwan
ties, and support the peaceful development of cross-Strait
relations. China hoped the U.S. would understand and respect
how the Chinese government handled Tibet-related issues,
including the "March 2008 incident." China took very
seriously the "solemn commitment" by President Obama on
Tibet-related issues. Referring to riots in Xinjiang, Xi
said the "July 5 incident" had been in essence a violent
terrorist crime orchestrated and perpetrated by separatist,
extremist and terrorist forces inside and outside of China.
China hoped the U.S. would respect how the PRC government
handled this situation. It was only when we handled
sensitive issues properly, with attention to core interests,
that we could build the firm ground of mutual trust that
would sustain future cooperation, Xi concluded.

One China Policy
--------------


12. (S) The Deputy Secretary responded that the U.S. was
mindful of the overall importance of dialogue. This was true
not only for bilateral relations with the PRC but also
informed U.S. support for cross-Strait dialogue. The U.S.
supported the recent positive cross-Strait developments and
encouraged continued thinking on how to maintain this trend.
The Deputy Secretary emphasized that the U.S. "one China"
policy had served the U.S. well across many Administrations
and would continue to be a core principle of bilateral
relations. Dialogue was also the best option in the case of
Tibet, the Deputy Secretary added, noting that the U.S.
encouraged China to engage in dialogue with those speaking
for Tibet.


13. (S) The U.S. and China would continue to have differences
of views, the Deputy Secretary said, and the United States
would continue to have opinions on how China could become a
more open and dynamic system. However, trust and respect lay
at the heart of good relations, and the U.S. appreciated how
a focus on core interests could allow both countries to
address challenges and solve disagreements. Under this
framework, the U.S. and China would show the world that we
could do even more together, the Deputy Secretary said.

People-to-People Ties
--------------


14. (S) The Deputy Secretary noted that he had been struck by
VP Xi's comment on the positive views that the Chinese people
had of the United States. People-to-people ties were as
important as the work of senior officials and formed the core
of positive relations. Both Vice President Xi and Ambassador
Huntsman, as former governors, knew the importance of staying
close to the people. The Deputy Secretary expressed hope
that President Obama's visit would be an opportunity to
connect the people of the two countries as well as our
governments.

BEIJING 00002924 004 OF 004




15. (S) Xi replied that he fully agreed that we had to expand
mutual trust and exchanges at the confluence of our common
interests. We all remembered when, after decades of
estrangement, renewed exchanges had allowed our peoples to
begin to understand each other. Xi said this brought to mind
his first visit to the U.S. in 1985 as a county-level
official in Hebei Province when he had visited Iowa on an
agriculture-related exchange. Xi said he had arrived with
many questions and after visiting small towns and spending
time with local families, he had departed with an objective
understanding of the United States. Xi remarked that he had
been surprised that the peoples of the U.S. and China shared
so many common interests. He noted that, since 1985, he had
visited the U.S. three times, twice as Fujian governor to the
Fujian sister state of Oregon, and once to New Jersey in the
capacity of governor of Zhejiang Province. Xi emphasized
that local ties were the driver of bilateral relations and he
therefore attached great importance to people-to-people
exchanges.


16. (S) China hoped that continued dialogue would help the
U.S. understand how China planned to develop itself, Xi
continued. On the eve of its sixtieth anniversary, China was
evaluating its progress and welcomed advice from friendly
countries on the basis of mutual respect. In response to
U.S. suggestions that China engage in dialogue on Tibet, Xi
said, China was ready to talk to representatives of the Dalai
Lama at any time as long as he abandoned the goal of Tibet
independence or attempts to achieve independence through
"disguised means."


17. (S) The Deputy Secretary said he was pleased that Vice
President Xi had been introduced to the U.S. in the living
rooms of Iowa and expressed hope that Vice President Xi would
have the opportunity to return to the United States. The
Deputy Secretary noted that during the inaugural S&ED
meeting, the Secretary and State Councilor Dai Bingguo had
remarked that the responsibility of both governments to
future generations should be the guiding principle of the
discussions. As we looked forward to the visit of President
Obama and future dialogues, this spirit should continue to
inform bilateral ties in general, the Deputy Secretary
concluded.


18. (U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg has cleared this message.
HUNTSMAN