MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, NAVAL DISPUTES,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000662 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 RELATIONS, NAVAL DISPUTES, CHINA'S DIPLOMACY -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS "The Foreign Minister's meeting tests the patience of China and the U.S." The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/13): "At this sensitive moment in the U.S.-China relationship, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi's visit to Washington has become a challenge to the Obama administration's policy on China. Secretary Clinton and Yang Jiechi have both agreed, in the future, to avoid a similar confrontation like what happened in the South China Sea. Western media didn't expect that such a serious conflict could be resolved in such a peaceful atmosphere. It manifests the rational choices of the two countries in regard of the bilateral relationship. However, at the same time that the two met, the U.S. Navy was sending out a destroyer to escort the U.S. ship that was involved in the disputes with China. It seems the Pentagon intended to again risk reversing the general development in U.S.-China relationship. However, the American media issued few reports about it. Chinese experts also believe that compared to the historical bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, the South China Sea incident was a very small thing. Since then, the international environment has been completely different. Two countries political leaders and their diplomatic departments, not their military departments, have dealt with the recent incident. The U.S.-China relationship has built up a dam against risks. The U.S. will not want to offend China, who has a large investment portion in the U.S." ¶2. NAVAL DISPUTES a. "The rights of passage guaranteed to American ships are too hegemonic" The China Radio International sponsored newspaper World News Journal (Shijie Xinwenbao)(03/13): "The U.S. believes that it enjoys the right to freely pass through international waters as regulated by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which the U.S. even has not yet joined. The convention regulates that there is a 12 sea mile limitation to each country's water territory. However, the scope of certain country's water territory runs counter to the international law. Therefore the U.S. believes that the behavior of these countries has violated its rights of free passage and it should conduct countermeasures. Although China has protested the U.S. spy ships' activities at China's water territory, the U.S. debated that its ships and airplanes enjoy free rights of sailing and flying over the area outside 12 sea miles water territory and within international water territory. Experts indicate such rights have limitations. The sailing within the EEZ (exclusive economic zone); a certain country must respect the country's rights. However, the U.S. ships' military probing activities in China's EEZ have obviously violated China's sovereignty and security interests." b. "American official implies that the U.S. is exploring a nuclear submarine base" Elite Reference (Qingnian Cankao),a newspaper affiliated to the official Communist Youth League China Youth Daily (03/13): "Two anonymous Pentagon officials later admitted that the American ship was on a mission to seek out a submarine base. This is a part of the U.S. military's spying activities in the South China Sea. The two American officials indicated that the ship is designed to hunt for submarines and is equipped for that purpose. The U.S. military did not admit that it is a military ship or a spy ship. But it is a common measure for the U.S. Navy to play 'cat and mouse' with foreign submarines. It is so unreasonable that the U.S. would blame China, in spite of that fact that, the U.S. has stepped into such a sensitive area in China." ¶3. CHINA'S MILITARY "Why the American military commander doesn't worry about the possible Chinese aircraft carrier" The China Radio International sponsored newspaper World News Journal (Shijie Xinwenbao)(03/13): "Recently an American Pacific Commander said, while in Viet Nam, that the U.S. pays attention to China's ambition to construct an aircraft carrier, but is not worried about it. He says this because he wants to show the U.S. military's confidence. His words also show that the U.S. military has a basic judgment about the development of the Chinese Navy; that the Chinese are not seeking power-politics. Most importantly, this shows that the U.S. military doubts China's ability to build an aircraft carrier. However, once China possesses an aircraft carrier, what BEIJING 00000662 002 OF 002 China will use it for will be the most important piece of information the U.S. will want to know." WEINSTEIN