AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND DEMARCHE PRC ON FIJI

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000383

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2029
TAGS: PREL EAID ETRD CH FI AS NZ
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND DEMARCHE PRC ON FIJI
VISIT

Classified By: Minister Counselor for Political Affairs Aubrey Carlson.
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: On the eve of PRC Vice President Xi
Jinping's February 8-9 trip to Fiji, Australia and New
Zealand expressed concern to the MFA that such a visit would
send the wrong message in light of international efforts to
urge the government in Suva to carry out democratic reforms,
according to Beijing-based Australian diplomats. The MFA
downplayed the Xi visit, calling it a transit stop on the way
to Latin America. In the event, however, the two sides
signed new develop assistance agreements during the stopover,
further frustrating the Australians and New Zealanders. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) Australian Embassy Political Officer Gedaliah Afterman
(protect) told PolOff February 11 that the ambassadors of
both Australia and New Zealand demarched the MFA separately
to express concern that Vice President Xi's February 8-9
visit to Fiji would set back international efforts to
persuade the leadership in Fiji, who came to power after a
coup in 2006, to reform. The Australian Ambassador told VFM
He Yafei that China should join international efforts led by
the Pacific Forum to push Fiji toward democratic reform, but
instead it seemed that China was using the opportunity to
deepen ties with the country just when other countries were
pulling back.


3. (C) According to our Australian colleague, VFM He
responded that Vice President Xi's visit would only be a
transit stopover on the way to Latin America. As it turned
out, however, China signed several development assistance
deals in Fiji during the visit, and Xi met with President
Iloilo and Prime Minister Bainimarama. While Afterman
suggested the value of the development deals was more
symbolic than economic, he said that Australia and New
Zealand were frustrated that these agreements and high-level
meetings went further in sending the wrong message to Suva.


4. (C) Afterman said that the Chinese sought to obscure plans
for Xi's stop in Fiji by omitting the onward destination of
Xi's aircraft in the Chinese Government's application to the
New Zealand Government to transit New Zealand airspace. He
said the Australians were alerted to Xi's plans shortly
before the visit when Chinese officials applied for visas to
transit Australia on their way to Suva.


5. (C) In a February 13 conversation with PolMinCouns,
Australian Embassy PolCouns Robert Fergusson (protect)
reiterated much of the above and added that his Embassy was
awaiting possible instruction to go back to the MFA and
complain about the Fiji visit and its
more-than-just-a-transit substance. Fergusson said the
Chinese were observers at the Pacific Forum meeting at which
the difficult-to-reach consensus was developed to push the
Fiji Government toward reform. Although not a party to the
consensus, the PRC would have known the Xi visit and its
results would be contrary to the hard-won Pacific Forum
consensus.
PICCUTA