WELCOME TO BEIJING CODEL WEXLER - NOVEMBER 9-13

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003065 CODEL SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OREP AMGT ASEC AFIN CH SUBJECT: WELCOME TO BEIJING CODEL WEXLER - NOVEMBER 9-13 REF: STATE 113689 ¶1. (U) Embassy Beijing warmly welcomes the visit of CODEL Wexler to China November 9-13 for consultations with Chinese officials to discuss bilateral and multilateral issues. ¶2. (U) Control Officer: Noah Zaring, Political Officer Home: (86-10)6532-0451 Office: (86-10)8531-3532 Cell: (86)139-1013-2742 Fax: (86-10)8531-3525 Unclass E-mail: ZaringNS@state.gov (U) Deputy Control Officer: Brian Bedell, Political Officer Home: (86-10) 6539-3050 Tel: (86-10)8531-4057 Cell: (86) 139-1056-5938 Fax: (86-10) 8531-3525 Unclass E-mail: BedellBT@state.gov Control officer will meet traveler at the airport and take him to his hotel. ¶3. (U) Hotel reservations have been made at the Hilton Hotel. No. 1 Dong Fang, North Dong Sanhuan Rd., Chaoyang District Ph: (86-10)5865-5000 Fax:(86-10)5865-5800 Confirmation #3368200866 -------------- -------------- NEW SCREENING PROCEDURES FOR POSSIBLE H1N1 INFLUENZA -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) Effective May 11, 2009, Chinese Health and Quarantine (H&Q) authorities has implemented the following new procedures to screen for the possibility of influenza among passengers on flights arriving from the U.S. Although the Chinese authorities have informed the Embassy that these procedures will not be applied to incoming official delegations, Embassy requests that the members of the delegation be aware that these procedures could be implemented at any time should the situation change significantly while the delegation is in China. (A) All passengers are required to complete the H&Q health form (or "Quarantine Card") prior to disembarkation. The air carrier will provide passengers with the necessary paperwork prior to landing in China. (B) Chinese officials no longer board the plane to take temperatures, but all passengers are required to pass through a temperature detector device in the terminal. (C) Should a passenger be found suffering from fever, the following procedures will be followed: ¶1. One case of fever on board the flight: a) All passengers seated 3 rows before and after the individual will be required to remain on board for additional testing and evaluation by H&Q. b) Upon completion of H&Q's assessment, these passengers will either be released or placed in quarantine. c) All other passengers will be released upon completion of a H&Q health form. ¶2. Two or more cases of fever on board the flight: a) All passengers are required to remain on board until further notice. b)All passengers will be relocated to designated areas for further evaluation (e.g.in Beijing, Terminal 3: Concourse D). c) Upon completion of H&Q's assessment of the situation, passengers will either be released or placed in quarantine. (D) H&Q previously stated that next steps after evaluation may include simply completing a "Quarantine Card," undergoing a routine medical exam at the airport, or, in some circumstances, transportation to local hospitals and/or hotels designated for quarantine. (E) H&Q has also stated it will implement different procedures for specific passengers with H1N1 influenza symptoms, which may include: 1) observation in a designated hospital (e.g., in Beijing: Ditan Hospital and/or 2) quarantine (e.g., in Beijing: Guoman Hotel or Jinglin Hotel). The official quarantine period is up to seven days. H&Q currently provides NO special courtesies or waivers to individuals holding official or diplomatic passports. -------------- BEIJING 00003065 002 OF 002 Security and Threat Assessment -------------- ¶5. (U) The threat level for all China posts is considered low for crime and medium for terrorism. ¶6. (U) The Regional Security Office is not aware of any specific threat directed against any U.S. person or traveling delegation. Should such information be developed, the Chinese security services are committed to advise the Embassy of pertinent information and to provide necessary security coverage. ¶7. (U) China experiences a moderate rate of crime, including recent incidents ranging from petty theft to murder. Pickpockets are particularly active in crowded markets, and foreigners are often sought out as primary targets. Petty theft from hotel rooms is uncommon, but visitors are advised not to leave valuables lying loose or unattended in their rooms. ¶8. (U) Visitors are reminded to take necessary precautions in safeguarding sensitive material and information. All non-USG facilities must be considered technically compromised and may not be used to discuss, process, or store classified information. Telephone calls, e-mail, and Internet usage are routinely monitored and hotel rooms searched. ¶9. (U) Travelers should be aware that previous visitors have reported that their unattended computers have been subjected to tampering. The efforts may be directed toward obtaining information on the computers, but problems ranging from viruses left on their systems to hard drives, that are no longer functional have been reported. Hotels and private Chinese Internet providers have in some cases given hotel guests "free" thumb drives for use with their computers. The source and quality of these devices are unknown. Such devices could contain malicious codes and viruses and should not be used on government computers. Official visitors are reminded that non-inspectable electrical/electronic equipment, i.e., cellular telephones, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs),etc., may not be brought into the controlled access areas of the Chancery. If a visitor intends to travel with USG-owned computers and equipment for use within the Chancery, please contact the Regional Security Officer at 86-10-8531-4111, or GormanB2@state.gov or MooreBM@state.gov, for information and guidelines. ¶10. (U) Passports and visas are required. Americans arriving/transiting without valid passports and Chinese visas are not permitted to enter China and may also be subject to fines. Those visitors traveling to China on a single-entry visa should be reminded that trips to Hong Kong or Macau Special Administrative Regions are treated as a visit outside Mainland China. If the traveler is planning to return to Mainland China after a visit to one of these two destinations on the same single-entry visa, they will be denied entry. Visitors facing this situation will be required to apply for a new visa at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office in Hong Kong to gain re-entry into Mainland China. HUNTSMAN