MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VISIT TO ASIA, U.S.-CHINA

UNCLAS BEIJING 003118 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: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VISIT TO ASIA, U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, TIBET -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. PRESIDENT OBAMA'S VISIT TO ASIA "Obama steps onto the big Asian stage" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(11/13)(pg 1): "According to U.S. media, a new world order has arrived. Professor Jin Canrong at People's University of China said that Obama's visit to Asia is different in that he does not have the superiority of previous U.S. Presidents. Yuan Peng at the China Institute of International Relations said that Europe is the United States' past and Asia is its present and future. U.S.-Europe relations are value-oriented, while U.S.-Asia relations are interest-oriented, which is why it is difficult to tell which set of relations are more important for the United States. For Americans, trans-Pacific relations are crucial for influencing the world's future. Japan and Europe are watching Obama's visit closely, and with uneasiness. Obama's stay in China is the longest of his trip, which is seen as an indication of the most important agenda items on his visit. Professor Jin argued although the big changes China has gone through have made the West uneasy, there is in fact no need for the West to worry since, despite the rapid development of China, its per capita GDP is still low. As a result, China will focus on domestic issues instead of foreign expansion like the West." ¶2. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS "How should China respond to the United States' return to Southeast Asia?" The China Radio International sponsored newspaper World News Journal (Shijie Xinwenbao)(11/13)(pg 3): "Professor Zhang Xizhen at the School of International Studies at Peking University argued that China has made substantial progress in cooperating with ASEAN. The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) will finally be announced next year. Zhang said China should focus on North East Asian cooperation as such cooperation will be very influential once it is established. Because the cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea does not have much to do with the United States, the United States has no right to join this mechanism. The East Asian order is not currently beneficial to China since the U.S. and its allies - Japan, South Korea and the Philippines - are on one side and China is all alone on the other side. However, due to the financial crisis, there has been a shift in the U.S.-Japan alliance. China should use this opportunity to push for the establishment of an equitable trilateral framework between the United States, Japan and China. ASEAN countries are skillful at balancing the influence of the big powers. They know that the big powers all want to expand their influence in the region, and thus they avoid tilting towards any one country simply because it provides more assistance." ¶3. TIBET "China urges U.S. to respect its stance on Tibet" The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming Ribao)(11/13)(pg 8): "On November 12, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Qin Gang urged the United States to respect China's core interests concerning Tibet. President Obama mentioned previously that he is grateful to President Lincoln, who played a critical role in maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of the United States and without whom he would not have become the first African American President. We hope that President Obama can better and more deeply understand China's position in maintaining its sovereignty and territorial integrity. To a certain extent, the feudal system run by the Dalai Lama in the old Tibet is the same as the system of slavery in America that was abolished by President Lincoln. Qin said the U.S. government should also listen to the voice of the Chinese public. Ninety percent of netizens who participated in an online poll expressed firm opposition to a possible meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama. [Speaking about Obama's visit to China,] Qin said, 'Apart from political meetings, Obama will have opportunities to interact with Chinese youth during his stay in Shanghai, (details of) which are being finalized." HUNTSMAN