MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-ISRAEL, "G2," U.S. POLICY IN SOUTHEAST

UNCLAS BEIJING 002930 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: PREL ECON KMDR OPRC CH SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-ISRAEL, "G2," U.S. POLICY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. U.S.-ISRAEL "U.S. reassuring Israel" The Beijing-based newspaper sponsored by official intellectual publication Guangming Daily and Guangdong Provincial official publication Nanfang Daily The Beijing News (Xin Jing Bao)(10/22)(page A28): "Zhu Zhaoyi, an expert on Israeli issues, said that the background to the [U.S.-Israel military] exercise is the Iran nuclear issue. The joint military exercise is meant to reassure Israel and show that the U.S. is still committed to protecting its security. At the same time, the U.S. wants to put further pressure on Iran, and both the U.S. and Israel hope to deter Syria and Hezbollah through the military exercise. This then can improve the deterioration in Israel's external strategic environment and ease pressures on Israel." ¶2. "G2" "The G2 is not the new international order advocated by China" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(10/22)(page 14): "China will not agree to the G2 idea for the following reasons. First, although cooperation between the U.S. and China has a deep foundation, bilateral differences, such as human rights and Taiwan, cannot be quickly removed. Second, China's national strength is far behind the U.S.'s. Under the circumstances, even if China and the U.S. established a G2, China would ultimately discover that it had gained nothing from its investment. Third, considering the many different interests of the world's economies, one to two countries or international organizations cannot solve global issues. After all, the G2 would ultimately be about more than just enhanced cooperation between the U.S. and China in international affairs. Fourth, it is questionable whether or not the U.S. really wants to share leadership with China. Sharing leadership with the U.S. also does not meet the basic diplomatic policy of China, which is still in the primary phase of its development. China has no intention to seek hegemony. To conclude, China should approach its relations with the U.S., the EU, Japan, Russia, and other big countries properly, respecting multilateralism in the international system and avoiding joint governance between the U.S. and China." ¶3. U.S. POLICY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA "The U.S. is accelerating its return to Southeast Asia" The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming Ribao)(10/22)(page 8): "President Obama will attend the APEC summit next month in Singapore and meet the leaders of the seven ASEAN members. This is yet another step by the U.S. to accelerate its return to Southeast Asia. ASEAN has always been the traditional way the U.S. exerted influence in the region on issues of concern to its political, economic and security interests. To accelerate its return to Southeast Asia, the U.S. has been actively promoting a bilateral summit with ASEAN this year. Simon Tay, Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, argued that Obama's policy of deepening U.S. engagement with the region is welcome. It is necessary for great powers, including China, to maintain a healthy relationship with ASEAN which will help maintain ASEAN's role as a hub in the wider Asia region." HUNTSMAN