MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA MILITARY RELATIONS, U.S. POLICY,

UNCLAS BEIJING 000429

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: OPRC KMDR CH

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA MILITARY RELATIONS, U.S. POLICY,
BUY AMERICAN BILL

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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-CHINA MILITARY RELATIONS

"U.S.-China military discussions will not avoid speaking about the
arms sales to Taiwan"

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/19): "A Chinese military official has
recently said that China will request that they discuss the arms
sales to Taiwan during the up-coming U.S.-China Defense Coordination
Dialogue. The resumption of U.S.-China military contact last week
does not mean that arms sales to Taiwan are all right. To improve
military relations, the U.S. needs to make substantial improvements
on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan. Chinese experts indicate that
China should make its stance known during this dialogue and put
certain pressure on the U.S. on the issue. In the recent years, the
U.S. has become more positive in military exchanges with China. It
is always the U.S. who from time to time makes abrupt decisions.
Thus the U.S. needs to restrain its behavior a bit."


2. U.S. POLICY

"American economy damages Obama's authority"

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/19): "American officials have said that
the financial crisis has become the greatest security threat to
America. The drop in the American stock market shows that, even a
stimulus plan of 800$billion cannot give the American people
confidence. The U.S. has upgraded the financial crisis to the level
of a national security risk. The process of resolving the crisis has
been connected with Obama's personal authority, which reached its
maximum before he took office, and is NOW enduring the challenge of
American internal party politics. Chinese experts indicate that
American people have overly high expectations for Obama. His glory
covers up his laws. In fact, the American people have not lost their
confidence in Obama completely. They are just disappointed in the
economic situation. Even so, the impact on the American economy, due
to their lack of confidence, is severe."


3. BUY AMERICAN BILL

"Trade protectionism is cocaine"

The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/19): "The Buy
American bill has an obvious implication of trade protectionism. In
globalization, procurement for infrastructure construction is based
on market rules. However, the advance limitation on the scope of
procurement violates market rules. To more than 100 non-favorite WTO
members, U.S. Law No. 1640 is a piece of negative news. The real
harm of trade protectionism will not only affect developing
countries but will damage the world trade system that is ruled by
developed countries as well. The U.S., as the biggest economic
power, needs to protect its trade. Today it is steel and
construction materials, tomorrow it will be textiles, and the day
after next it will be food and pharma. Other countries will follow
their lead and eventually, this will hurt the free market. The real
global economy is affected by America's liberalism. And now, in
promoting trade protectionism, America will delay the global
economic recovery. Therefore, we can take every measure except for
trade protectionism, which is akin and as tempting as cocaine, to
recover the world's economy."

PICCUTA