MEDIA REACTION: NATO, U.S. POLITICS, CHINA'S NUCLEAR

UNCLAS BEIJING 000552 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: NATO, U.S. POLITICS, CHINA'S NUCLEAR STRATEGY, HUMAN RIGHTS -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. NATO "NATO wants to borrow China's 'Wakhan Corridor'" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/04): "A Chinese military officer has said that it is impossible for China to open the Corridor to NATO in order to also help support military actions in Afghanistan. NATO has been frustrated that the military activities in Afghanistan have been stagnated. They have been seeking the help of Afghanistan's neighbors. China still has many difficulties in conducting any military cooperation with NATO, because it is led by the U.S. It is still too early to discuss such cooperation. It is possible that China cooperates with NATO on anti-terror and humanitarian issues, but not quite possible to have deep strategic cooperation with NATO. This is also because NATO still treats China and Russia as potential challenges. NATO's request to go through China is directly relevant with Kyrgyzstan's decision to shut down the air base. China has seldom cooperated with NATO on political and military issues. China only accepts peace-keeping activities led by the UN and has to consider Russia's feelings, because Russia is still having confrontations with NATO." ¶2. U.S. POLITICS "Where is the U.S.' fragility" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/04): "A country's power is undergoing a moment of unprecedented fragility, including the U.S.', which is worth our attention. The recent financial crisis has updated people's opinions, worldwide, concerning the U.S. The U.S. is not as strong as they once imagined. One needs to examine three aspects in order to see a country's power: first, possessing a 'gun', second, possessing a 'useful gun', for example; a pistol is useful to a person 10 meters away, but not for a person 10 km away. And third, the ability to let the person, who is 10 meters away from you, know, that you will shoot. All of these factors don't lead to a simple conclusion as to whether the U.S. will fall. However, in today's state of globalization, infrastructure building, networking and more internationalized activities, the fragility of these countries' power has increased. The changes to a country's power and position are not simply dictated by Country A replacing Country B in their hegemonic lead. However, the international situation is full of uncertainties and chaos." ¶3. CHINA'S NUCLEAR STRATEGY "What kind of nuclear strategy should China follow?" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/04): "The world's nuclear set-up continues to maintain two superpowers and multiple power countries. The U.S. and Russia are maintaining a nuclear balance. What's more, today, nuclear countries treat nuclear weapons as the most important factor in maintaining the country's security. China should follow the strategy of 'effective defense' which emphasizes the effectiveness of having the capability to proactively defend yourself. Effective defense is helpful to maintain the country's security and continuously expand its interests. It is also helpful for China to contend against the threat posed by the world's military powers and regional hegemony." ¶4. HUMAN RIGHTS "Clinton's diplomacy on human rights is spot on" The official English-language newspaper China Daily commented (03/04): "...Some human rights groups and a section of the international media have said [Clinton] was too lenient with China on human rights. Was this really the case? Would China have lost something if she played hard on human rights? Let's first see what comprises human rights. It is true the concept originated in the West, but it would be unfair to say that China has not contributed to their development - both at home and abroad....Are human rights a very sensitive issue? As rights for all, they should not be. In fact, China has always tried to improve human rights and its constitution guarantees them to every citizen....Hence, human rights cannot be a sensitive issue for China unless vested interests link them to trade or non-political events such as the Olympic Games. Simply put, human rights become sensitive only when politicized." PICCUTA