Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING2968
2009-10-26 00:42:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPT 29, 2009

Tags:  OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL MNUC ECON KS KN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0668
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2968/01 2990042
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 260042Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6602
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002968 

SIPDIS

PACOM FOR FPA PICCUTA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2029
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL MNUC ECON KS KN
JP, IR, CH
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPT 29, 2009
CONVERSATION WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER YANG JIECHI

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 002968

SIPDIS

PACOM FOR FPA PICCUTA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2029
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL MNUC ECON KS KN
JP, IR, CH
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPT 29, 2009
CONVERSATION WITH CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER YANG JIECHI

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


1. (SBU) September 29, 2009; 2:30 p.m.; Ministry of Foreign
Affairs; 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
Derek Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense
Sung Kim, Special Envoy to the Six Party Talks
Pamela Park, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary
Gregory May, Embassy Political Officer (notetaker)
James Brown, Interpreter

CHINA
--------------

Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Zheng Zeguang, Director General, Department of North American
and Oceanian Affairs, MFA
Zhang Kunsheng, Director General, Protocol Department, MFA
Ding Xiaowen, Deputy Director General, Department of North
American and Oceanian Affairs, MFA


3. (C) SUMMARY: In a September 29 meeting with Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the Deputy Secretary stressed
the urgency of the Iran nuclear issue and the importance of
the P5-plus-1 showing a united front to Iran. FM Yang said
the P5-plus-1 should "go the extra mile" to send a positive
signal to Iran at the October 1 Geneva talks. The P5-plus-1
should be willing to discuss regional issues in Geneva
provided Iran engaged on the nuclear question. FM Yang
reiterated PRC desire for a diplomatic solution and praised
the United States' willingness to engage with Iran. The
Deputy Secretary said the United States was open to a
diplomatic resolution but Iran had to take steps to build
confidence and transparency and put itself on a different
path. FM Yang offered a positive assessment of U.S.-China
relations and urged greater cooperation on transnational and

global issues. China was looking forward to President
Obama's visit and hoped the United States would create a
"good atmosphere" by recognizing China's concerns over
Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang and trade protection. On climate
change and the Copenhagen summit, FM Yang said China hoped
the issue would not be politicized and the United States and
the world would recognize China's sincere efforts. The
Deputy Secretary stressed that the United States and China
should work together to make Copenhagen a success. FM Yang
praised the success of the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh and
U.S.-China cooperation in responding to the financial crisis.
The Deputy Secretary said the United States hoped China,
Japan and South Korea would coordinate policy on North Korea
at their upcoming October 10 trilateral meeting. End Summary.

Iran
--------------


4. (C) In a September 29 meeting with Chinese Foreign
Minister Yang Jiechi, the Deputy Secretary stressed that
events of the past several days had crystallized the
importance of the Iran nuclear issue. The P5-plus-1 foreign
ministers statement issued at UNGA was very important, and
the United States valued China's role in creating the
statement. The P5 had to continue to work together and
present a united front to Iran. The next few weeks would be
critical. The United States would not shut itself off from a
diplomatic solution and would come to the P5-plus-1 talks
with Iran in Geneva October 1 with proposals for concrete
steps that Iran could take to build confidence and
transparency. Iran had to be serious about a diplomatic
solution and take the necessary steps. The United States
realized that reaching a long-term resolution would take
time, but Iran had to act now to set itself on a different
path.

BEIJING 00002968 002 OF 003




5. (C) FM Yang noted that Presidents Obama and Hu had
discussed Iran at their last meeting and China understood the
importance of the issue to the United States. The P5-plus-1
statement at UNGA, FM Yang said, was "good and balanced" and
sent the right signal to Iran and the international
community. China looked forward to a good start to the
Geneva discussions October 1. The Iranians were a "clever
people" and the "heart of the issue must be handled
properly." Iran was a regional power and an important
country in the Middle East, and Iran wanted to discuss
regional issues in Geneva. China believed such issues could
be addressed provided the nuclear issue was also discussed.
All sides should "go the extra mile" to send a positive
signal to Iran and see what the response was. China agreed
to a dual-track approach to Iran, but ultimately there had to
be a diplomatic solution. Sanctions, could only work up to a
point. Hopefully, FM Yang continued, the Geneva talks would
stir up internal discussions inside Iran given the Obama
Administration's openness to engagement.

Bilateral Relations and POTUS Visit
--------------


6. (C) The Deputy Secretary said Presidents Obama and Hu had
established a strong personal relationship and President
Obama was excited about his upcoming visit to China. The
center of gravity in the bilateral relationship had shifted
from what came between us to how the United States and China
could work together. The Deputy Secretary said both sides
should increase work on nonproliferation and preparations for
the nuclear security summit next spring.


7. (C) FM Yang commented that the two presidents had had a
good meeting on the margins of UNGA and noted that the
session had gone over the scheduled time. The two sides now
had to carry out the consensus reached by Presidents Obama
and Hu. The United States and China should intensify
interaction on transnational issues like climate change, the
G-20, and Security Council reform. There should first be a
"meeting of the minds" on Security Council reform before the
issue could go forward, and the United States and China
should consult each other "from time to time." In an
environment of increasing globalization, the information age,
climate change, and the financial crisis, the U.S.-China
relationship had to be anchored by cooperation on critical
international and global issues. The two sides, FM Yang
said, had to transcend ideological barriers and take a new
approach to transnational issues.

Need "Good Atmosphere" on Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang
-------------- --------------


8. (C) China, FM Yang continued, was looking forward to
President Obama's state visit and wanted to make it as
substantive as possible. The visit would offer a chance to
discuss climate change, the financial crisis, and "hot spot
issues." FM Yang stressed that Taiwan, Tibet, East Turkestan
independence (Xinjiang),and trade protection were issues of
"major, major concern to China." China hoped to have a "good
atmosphere" for President Obama's state visit. This, FM Yang
added, could make a difference in furthering the relationship.

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


9. (C) FM Yang said China hoped the climate change issue
would not be politicized. China believed in taking "common
but differentiated" responsibility, and the United States and
China needed to make a positive and collaborative signal on
climate change during President Obama's visit. China wanted
Copenhagen to be a success. During these "trying times,"
China was working to grow its economy yet was still paying
attention to environmental protection. Provincial governors
and city mayors had "hard targets," and all had to toe the
line on the environment. China hoped that its achievements
and sincere efforts to deal with climate change would be
recognized by the United States and the world.


10. (C) The Deputy Secretary responded that while Washington
and Beijing might have a history of pointing fingers at one
another on climate change, both sides had to work together to
ensure the success of the Copenhagen summit. Both the United

BEIJING 00002968 003 OF 003


States and China would be blamed should Copenhagen fail.
Neither side could evade the issue, and the United States and
China both had responsibilities. President Hu Jintao's
speech at UNGA had demonstrated a welcomed commitment to
addressing climate change, and President Obama had been
dedicated to the issue from the beginning. The United States
and China, the Deputy Secretary said, should do more
brainstorming and exchange ideas on global warming.

Financial Crisis and G-20
--------------


11. (C) FM Yang praised the success of the Pittsburgh summit
and remarked that the United States and China had enjoyed
good cooperation in addressing the financial crisis. The
views China presented at the G-20 had been "echoed by most
around the table." The Deputy noted that the financial
crisis had created new opportunities to change some global
governance structures, and the United States wanted China to
play a more central role in the future.

China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Meeting
--------------


12. (C) FM Yang told the Deputy Secretary he had just
returned from a Shanghai meeting with his Japanese and South
Korean counterparts. The session, Yang said, was to prepare
for the October 10 meeting in Beijing between Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and South
Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. The Deputy Secretary said
the United States was "untroubled and enthusiastic" about
China-Japan-South Korea trilateral exchanges, which had
always been conducted in a transparent manner. The United
States hoped the three sides would use the October 10 meeting
to discuss North Korea.


13. (U) The Deputy Secretary has cleared this message.
HUNTSMAN