MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT, JAPAN, FIANNCIAL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000440 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: SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT, JAPAN, FIANNCIAL CRISIS, TIBET -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT "Secretary Clinton comes to China to talk" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/20): "Secretary Clinton will arrive in Beijing today. During her visit to Japan, Indonesia and South Korea, global media seems not to be focused on the trip, because they are waiting for her final and most important visit; her visit to China. This will be the first meeting of the Obama administration in Beijing. Some American politicians have prepared the secretary with a long list of requests, including human rights, weapons proliferations, and purchasing American debts. The U.S. is used to making demands of China, but the situation needs to change. The time for the U.S. to point the finger at China has passed. Secretary Clinton should remember to bring a notebook, in order to write down the requests of the Chinese. In this way, the two countries can understand each other and establish regulations and rules from an equal footing. Chinese intellectuals have realized the importance of grasping control over the agenda. On economics, China needs to ask the U.S. to suppress trade protectionism. China should also bring forward the request that the U.S. begin good national management, in view of the insufficient supervision that caused the financial crisis. In general the U.S.' pressure and influence on China is decreasing. The U.S. has become more polite in dealing with China. The U.S.-China economic relationship is the stabilizer in the bilateral relations." ¶2. JAPAN "Feb. 17th Okinawa Treaty: U.S., from Okinawa to Guam" 21 Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao) under Guangdong 21 century publishing company Ltd. (02/20): "Hillary [Secretary Clinton] on behalf of America has signed the Okinawa International Treaty, which she is using as an example to prove that the alliance between the U.S. and Japan is still strong and vigorous. If American troops move from Okinawa to Guam, an island that is facing a problem of aged population, Guam will receive construction funds from the Defense Department as well as a huge group of young consumers. All of this is good news for the local economy's development. The tourism industry is the core industry in Guam, most of the tourists come from Japan, and therefore the Japanese attitude toward the U.S. is very clear; on the one hand, they make every effort to push away the Americans living in Japan, and on the other hand, they continue to travel to the U.S. to support the American economy. It seems that the Japanese think that these two things are irrelevant." ¶3. FINANCIAL CRISIS "A letter to American political opportunists" 21 Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao) under Guangdong 21 century publishing company Ltd. (02/20): "Recently, the international media published an article saying that China is the source of the financial crisis, because they buy American debt. Now, some wizened Americans doubt China's responsibility in the financial crisis. In fact, the true nature of the financial crisis is a crisis of debts. As for responsibilities in this financial crisis, as the largest emerging economy, China is the first to begin to recover from the crisis, which is the biggest contributor to the recovery of the global economy. China is making efforts to provide the world with cheaper products. Detroit workers living comfortable lives will not be able to do this. For American economy to recover its economic development, the most important thing is not to criticize and threaten other countries, but to change their living standard and try to live a relatively balanced lifestyle." ¶4. TIBET "West in the dark on Tibet, basic facts shed light" The official English-language newspaper China Daily (02/20): "The prevailing political opinion in the West on Tibet is so much based on simplistic conceptions...First and foremost, Tibet was never a political and social Shangri la before the peaceful liberation in 1951...the social and political systems there were extremely medieval...largely through its half century of subversive activity and deceptive propaganda, the West's romanticism about Tibet emerged and then went on a rampage...hence, listening to and understanding China is critical for considering the complex issue of Tibet with sensibility, and for dealing with it both justly and realistically." BEIJING 00000440 002 OF 002 PICCUTA