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 BEIJING 00000412 002 OF 002 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