MEDIA REACTION: CLIMATE CHANGE, AFGHANISTAN, WAR ON TERROR

UNCLAS BEIJING 003361 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 SENV KGHG KMDR OPRC CH SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CLIMATE CHANGE, AFGHANISTAN, WAR ON TERROR -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. CLIMATE CHANGE "The final stand-off in Copenhagen: China has resisted Anglo-American pressure" The Shanghai-based Shanghai Media Group (SMG) publication, China Business News (Diyi Caijing)(12/16)(pg A4): "By now, developing countries and developed countries don't give in to each other's wishes, especially when there is no sign of a loosening of the developed countries' stance on long-term financial aid and reduction goals. This type of confrontation has lowered all the parties' expectations for the final result. In the past two days, the jointly posed public challenges by developed countries against China, from their reductions promise, their reductions measurement to their inspection standards, have been largely distant from their praise two months ago about China's great efforts towards reduction. Xie Zhenhua, the Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission and the head of Chinese delegation to Copenhagen, said that China's voluntary mitigation actions are open, transparent and legally protected. Their statistical evaluation system and accountability measures are in place and will be announced to the public and the world. However, China will by no means accept the international requirement that reductions be measurable, reportable and verifiable." ¶2. AFGHANISTAN "Getting involved in Afghan affairs is helpful for improving China's image" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(12/16)(pg 14): "Many American elites believe that China has strategic designs in Afghanistan. There is also speculation in China about the U.S.' intentions in Afghanistan. These speculations and suspicions will surely harm the bilateral relationship and lead to a new Cold War. But in fact, getting involved in Afghan affairs will help China take a crucial step towards becoming a responsible big country. First, Afghanistan has both a strategic meaning and an economic meaning for China. A stable and efficient Afghan government will ensure China's strategic interests and its economic interests, like opening a corridor to Central Asia, its energy and coal mines. Second, right now China's international influence is increasing along with its rising national strength. If China does not do anything about the Afghanistan issue, the international society's expectation on China will turn into worry and speculation, which will harm China's image. Third, China's ignorance over the Afghanistan issue will offer more excuses to those who criticized China for only caring about economic issues, in those countries where China demand resources, and not about political issues. Fourth, China's help could gain the trust of the United States and other NATO countries who have become tired of the Afghanistan war. In this way China can have a better say in negotiations concerning its core interests within these countries. Finally, getting involved in Afghan affairs can meet the U.S. request for strategic reassurance with China, removing deeply-rooted bilateral suspicions." ¶3. WAR ON TERROR "New U.S. counterterrorism strategy is being tested" The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming Ribao)(12/16)(pg 8): "One of the most prominent changes in Obama's new Afghanistan strategy is that its goal in the War on terror has been downgraded, from a thorough elimination of the Taliban to removing camps of the Al Qaeda near the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders while the Karzai government remains un-ousted. Quite a few American officials have doubts about whether Obama's new strategy can work. The Karzai government, which just went through a corruption scandal, has quite a low reputation. It seems that, for Karzai, right now the campaign against corruption is more important than the war on terror. What's more, Afghanistan's security continues to deteriorate although the United States and its allies repeatedly send more troops. Under pressure from the military, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is struggling to maintain his authority, and as his approval rating falls, he is fighting for his political life. This increases the uncertainties of Obama's new counterterrorism strategy. If the United States sends troops to Pakistan in search of Al Qaeda operatives, the Pakistani people will be infuriated and the United States will face a much larger war in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is not what Obama wants." GOLDBERG