MEDIA REACTION: PAKISTAN, SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE

UNCLAS BEIJING 000701 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: PAKISTAN, SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. PAKISTAN "Chaotic Pakistan worries the world" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/18): "The Pakistani government has recently resumed the position of the Chief Judge. The former Premier, Sharif, has requested that the protesting cease. However, no one in the media believes that if the protests stopped that Pakistan would be peaceful. Pakistan is intensely populated, possesses nuclear weapons, and is at the front line of the war on terror. It is involved in many sophisticated conflicts. Each conflict has the possibility to become a fuse. China, being a neighbor of Pakistan, knows that any chaos in Pakistan is not a good thing for China. The U.S. and UK seem to be more nervous than Pakistan about this chaos because Pakistan is like a wall protecting them from terrorists. Psychologically Pakistani people are pro-U.S. - though they don't want to admit it. The U.S. has always adopted a practical policy on Pakistan. The U.S.' influence on Pakistan can't be ignored. However, because they are influenced by the U.S., Pakistan can't find a development path that is right for both the country and is acceptable to the world. The U.S. could support a 'holy war' to fight against Russia and promote the Muslim population in some areas of Pakistan, and at the same time suppress Islam in order to prevent the expansion of religious extremists in Pakistan. After this crisis, the U.S. may turn its support towards Sharif since he can provide more cooperation with the U.S. In the future, the U.S. may use Sharif's relations with Islamic leaders and Saudi Arabia to fight against the Islamic extremists." ¶2. SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES "A Cold War at sea, between the U.S. and China is unlikely" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/18): "The incident involving the U.S. Navy's spy ship was obviously aimed at China. Earlier, an American expert on Chinese marine issues wrote a book that mentions the prosperous development of China's Navy, suggesting that the U.S. should avoid a Cold War-like conflict at sea. However, Chinese analysts indicate that it is unlikely that this type of conflict will occur. The gap between China's Navy and the U.S. Navy will not change in the short term. Meanwhile, it doesn't matter whether China's military strength is developing in an appropriate way, the U.S. strategy of besieging China will continue. The U.S. has increased its military drills and spying activities around China. This may increase the possibility of friction. Some U.S. military personnel, making use of the new Obama administration unfamiliarity with related issues, are trying to create incidents in order to gain people's sympathy as well as increase their military budget. Coordination systems should be established quickly in order to increase our bilateral communication. Both countries should maintain restraint, leaving space for diplomatic resolution." PICCUTA