CHINA HAD NO SAY IN MANAS CLOSURE ISSUE, SHARES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000382 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2029 TAGS: PREL MARR MASS PGOV PTER CH KG SUBJECT: CHINA HAD NO SAY IN MANAS CLOSURE ISSUE, SHARES COMMON GOALS IN CENTRAL ASIA, SAYS MFA OFFICIAL Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1. 4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Summary: China did not discuss the possibility of closing Manas Air Base with the Kyrgyz Government, either before or after President Bakiyev's February 3 announcement, and only learned about it from press reports, according to an MFA official. China and the United States "share common goals" in Central Asia, and China hopes instability in Afghanistan will not spread to Central Asia and northwest China, the official added. In China's view, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a useful mechanism for economic and security cooperation, but bilateral cooperation between member states is more significant. China will send a delegation of senior officials to Moscow in March to take part in the SCO conference on Afghanistan. End summary. Manas Air Base -------------- ¶2. (C) China only learned about Kyrgyzstan's decision to close the Manas Air Base from press reports on President Bakiyev's announcement, MFA European and Central Affairs Department Central Asia Division Director Su Fangqiu told PolOff February 13. Su claimed that China did not discuss the base closure with the Kyrgyz Government, either before or after Bakiyev's announcement. Repeating the MFA spokesperson's February 6 statement on the issue, Su said China "noted the announcement of the Kyrgyz Government of its decision to close the U.S. air base in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, and respects its decision as a sovereign state." He added that China would like to see peace, stability and development in Central Asia. "We Share Common Goals" -------------- ¶3. (C) Director Su commented that the United States and China shared the common goals of combating terrorism and promoting stability in Central Asia. He said China has played an active role in assisting Afghanistan, arguing that China's infrastructure projects in Afghanistan and other assistance have helped promote economic development and stability. He expressed hope that instability in Afghanistan would not spread to Central Asia or to China's northwest provinces and stressed that China continued to pursue "good neighborly relations" with Central Asia. China's Views on Central Asia -------------- ¶4. (C) In Su's view, the five countries of Central Asia were relatively stable but still in the process of economic and social development. He said each country in Central Asia had made efforts to combat terrorism, noting that "no one wants to see the Taliban take power in Afghanistan." He praised the Central Asian governments for opening up their economies. In spite of these positive developments, Central Asia was still affected by three "negative factors," Su said. First, political reform had been slow, a legacy of the region's long history as part of the Soviet Union. Second, the region was threatened by the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism. He commented that these forces of instability were still "active" in Central Asia, although he noted they did not pose the same threat to stability as they do in Afghanistan. Su said the third negative factor affecting Central Asia was the global financial crisis, noting that economic growth rates had decreased while unemployment rates had increased in the region. He said that economic and social problems, including crime, were now more pronounced in Central Asian countries because of the financial crisis. Role of SCO -------------- ¶5. (C) Director Su said security and economic activities made up the "two wheels" of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). He said China had good cooperation with its Central Asian neighbors in combating terrorism, citing the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) as an example. For economic and energy issues, Su said the SCO was not intended to resolve conflicts between member states but rather to promote multilateral cooperation. While acknowledging that most economic and energy deals between member states were BEIJING 00000382 002 OF 002 bilateral, he commented that the SCO provided a useful forum for dealing with issues that involve more than two countries, such as cross-border transportation and shipping. Asked about the March 25-27 SCO conference on Afghanistan, Su indicated that China would send a delegation led by a senior official, possibly an assistant foreign minister. MFA Greatly Interested in U.S. Views -------------- ¶6. (C) Director Su showed great interest in U.S. views of Manas Air Base, asking how important the base was to coalition efforts and how its closure might affect U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and U.S. relations with Kyrgyzstan. PolOff said that discussion of the effects of the base closure would be premature as Kyrgyz President Bakiyev only announced his decision on February 3 and the Kyrgyz parliament has yet to approve the decision. PolOff stressed that currently the Manas Air Base and security cooperation from Central Asian nations were critical to coalition operations and that continued coalition access to the air base would be in the interests of the international community, including China. PICCUTA