MEDIA REACTION: CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS, TAIWAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003159 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: CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS, TAIWAN -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. CHINA-U.S. RELATIONS a. "China should show the United States the direction of its military development" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(11/23)(pg 14): "Obama's recent visit to China will finally decide the United States' China policy. If the two countries want to establish a stable military relationship, the United States needs to accept China's role as a future military power and China needs to insist on a permanent defensive military strategy, in which it would neither challenge the United States' core interests nor seek regional or international hegemony. China should make a greater effort to communicate more confidently and openly with the United States and other countries, explaining to them that China's core national interests require an increased military strength. China has no need to cover this up and should be able to be open about its large weapons development plans with other countries. Once China talks frankly about the fact that its military modernization is irreversible and the only choice is for other countries to accept China's rising military strength, suspicions about China will disappear as will the 'China threat theory.'" b. "There is still a potential flash point in Sino-U.S. relations" The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(11/23)(pg 10): "President Obama's visit to China was significant in its contribution to the growing maturity in the China-U.S. relationship, which has been redefined as a partnership to jointly deal with common challenges. This partnership will include 'strategic reassurance'; mutual respect of each other's development model and culture; and cooperation on regional and global issues. However, Obama's proactive China policy still lacks popular support in the United States, and the anti-China faction in the U.S. is still strong. Partisan strife, conflicts between the administration and Congress, and the influence of special interests group will all make China a victim of domestic political struggles in the United States. In addition, the U.S. is walking a fine line on the Taiwan and Tibet issues, which could hurt China-U.S. relations." c. "We should avoid one-way thinking in China-U.S. energy cooperation" Guangdong 21st Century Publishing Company Ltd.'s business newspaper 21st Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao)(11/23)(pg 2): "China-U.S. energy cooperation is a trend the two countries should make an effort to develop in an equally beneficial and sustainable way. With this goal in mind, the United States and China should avoid one-way thinking about technology imports and new energy exploration. China should pursue new energy exploration based on its own needs. Despite focusing on renewable energy cooperation in the China-U.S. joint statement, China should emphasize cooperation on coal bed gas based on the realities and needs of China. China-U.S. technical cooperation in the energy sector should not turn into a one-way division of labor and technology transfer - i.e. the United States conducts the research and development, while China provides back-up support and then spends millions of dollars to buy the technologies. This practice runs counter to the principle of equality and should not continue. China should also remain sober about the concept of a low carbon economy. Both the United States and China, when their economies start to recover, will be inclined to combat global warming through technology replacement and energy cooperation." ¶2. TAIWAN "Blue and green camps in Taiwan have different interpretations of Obama" The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(11/23)(pg 6): "After the United States and China issued the joint statement, the 'blue camp' in Taiwan came to the conclusion that the current period is the best time for U.S.-Mainland-Taiwan relations in 60 years. However, the 'green camp' concluded that the statement means the U.S. is going to give up on Taiwan. Many observers believe the China-U.S. joint statement is an important indication of an adjustment in the United States' policy on Taiwan. Fu Quan, a well-known Taiwan expert, said that in the past the United States has opposed both 'Taiwan independence' and 'unification,' and supported a continuation of the status quo. However, now the United States opposes 'Taiwan independence,' but will tolerate BEIJING 00003159 002 OF 002 'unification.' The fact that the United States did not mention the 'Taiwan Relations Act' and the three communiqus, which is rare, has made many pro-independence activists in Taiwan very nervous. Professor Xiu Chunping at the Institute of Taiwan Studies at the China Academy of Social Sciences argued that the United States and China have an increasingly common view on the Taiwan issue. However, it is not realistic to expect the United States to immediately make a complete U-turn.'" HUNTSMAN