NGO SHAMES FOREIGN MINISTRY TO PROTECT HISTORIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000412

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2034
TAGS: PHUM PGOV SCUL SOCI CH KPAO
SUBJECT: NGO SHAMES FOREIGN MINISTRY TO PROTECT HISTORIC
BUILDING; PUSHING "DEMOCRACY" THROUGH PRESERVATION

REF: 08 BEIJING 4329

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


SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) A plucky Beijing-based NGO, the China Cultural
Heritage Protection Center (CHP),has publicly
criticized the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for failing
to abide by cultural preservation laws in the
renovation of an historic property in Beijing. CHP
claimed victory after the MFA agreed in November to
allow greater public scrutiny of the project. The
NGO's confrontational style has, however, apparently
come at a price: CHP Founder Hu Shuzhong (strictly
protect) told PolOff the MFA used its connections to
cancel CHP's office lease. Hu said the campaign
against the MFA is part of his organization's plan to
use high-profile cases to force land developers and
government agencies to protect historic sites. Hu
said that by focusing on the preservation of China's
heritage and by working "within the system," CHP is
trying to carve out more space for NGOs and promote
"more democratic and limited government." End
summary.

NGO Takes on MFA
--------------


2. (C) A local cultural preservation NGO has publicly
taken the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to task over the
MFA's plans to renovate a historic courtyard home in
one of Beijing's protected "hutong" neighborhoods.
(Note: A "hutong" -- literally, lane or alley -- is
the generic name for Beijing's fast-disappearing
rabbit-warren-like neighborhoods that until recent
years lay behind the facades of developed major
thoroughfares in the city center.) The MFA-owned
property previously housed North Korea's first Embassy
to the PRC. He Shuzhong (strictly protect),founder
and chairman of the China Cultural Heritage Protection
Center (CHP),and CHP Director Hu Xinyu (strictly
protect) told PolOff January 21 that the MFA had been
set to ignore Beijing's historical preservation laws
as it renovated the property. Even though this
particular courtyard house was "not terribly
significant" from a historical perspective, Hu said,
CHP wanted to "leverage" this high-profile case to
demonstrate that China's government agencies were "not
above the law." More broadly, Hu said his
organization was trying to promote the concept of
greater public oversight of government and to advance
"democracy."

A Planted Question
--------------


3. (C) Hu told PolOff that he enlisted the help of a
foreign reporter to ask about the planned renovation
at the MFA's routine press conference November 25.
According to Hu, the MFA spokesperson responded that
the site would be "open to the public" for viewing,
which Hu said was a "concession" CHP "could not have
achieved by itself." (Note: PolOff attended the
November 25 press conference and heard this exchange,
reported reftel. However, the MFA later removed this
exchange from the official transcript.) Hu said CHP
intended to use the MFA spokesman's statement to
pressure the Ministry to open the site to the public
both during and after the restoration work.

The MFA Strikes Back?
--------------


4. (C) Hu said CHP recently had lost its office lease
as a result of its public spat with the MFA. CHP's
offices had been located in an historic temple complex
owned by the Ministry of Culture. Hu told PolOff the
MFA had pressured the Ministry of Culture to end the
NGO's lease, which recently came up for renewal.
Though CHP had to move to a new space, Hu said his
group was undeterred, even as many of his friends
predicted more consequences for irritating the MFA.

Promoting Democracy Through Historic Preservation
-------------- --------------


5. (C) He Shuzhong said CHP was "working within the

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system" to advance "a more democratic and limited
government" in China. The goals of CHP were "the same
as human rights groups," but the group approached
issues "from a different angle," said He. As a
cultural heritage organization, CHP could "get a lot
more done" to promote the growth of civil society and
democracy building in China because historic
preservation was an issue that nearly all Chinese,
even ardent nationalists, supported. He noted that he
originally had named his organization "Cultural
Heritage Watch" in reference to the group Human Rights
Watch, but he eventually had to change the name as it
proved "too sensitive."


6. (C) CHP worked toward its goals, He said, by
publicly challenging developers and government
ministries to follow cultural preservation laws. In
addition to this case work, CHP provided legal
training to Chinese farmers, who frequently live in
old structures, to help them use preservation laws to
preserve their property rights. Both methods served
to "remind government officials that they must follow
the law" and could not dictate policy, said He.
(Note: CHP currently has an application pending for
an Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation grant
to preserve the cultural heritage of a Sichuan-based
minority group that was severely affected by the May
2008 Wenchuan earthquake.)
PICCUTA