MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, COCA-COLA'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000727 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, COCA-COLA'S ACQUISITION, AIG -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS a. "Gates suddenly weakens the threat of China and Russia" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/20): "The U.S. Defense Secretary Gates has suddenly suggested that there is no reason to send more war ships as escorts in the South China Sea. The Pentagon has mentioned that while China's challenge reached its climax a few days ago, the Pentagon has reversed its opinions on the conflict. Chinese experts indicate that in order to pacify the conflict in the South China Sea, the Pentagon must blame itself for initiating the conflict. The Pentagon controls far more overseas troupes than U.S. diplomats. The belligerent nature of the U.S. Army is likely to irritate existing diplomatic issues. After World War II, the Pentagon, and the military industrial groups behind it, has had increasing influence on U.S. foreign policy. Due to the large size of the Department of Defense, the U.S. has always been looking for enemies and has implemented hard-line policies. Gates' comments show that currently, confrontations with China and Russia don't fit into the interests of the U.S. Currently, the core issue of the Obama administration is the financial crisis." b. "The West should change its post-modern racialism" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/20): "Among Westerners, who pay attention to the Tibet issue, some support Tibet because they are ignorant of the truth and others support Tibet even though they are well educated, professional, middle class citizens. These people pay attention because they have a different value system and an altered point of view. These people believe that in one country there should be one nationality because multiple nationalities only suppress each other. This is why they are sympathetic to the Tibetans. They believe in Western democracy. The Communist Party's governance is not democratic. These people [middle class professionals] think that the issue in Tibet is an issue concerning Tibetan democracy. The West's concept of human rights emphasizes political rights and the freedom of the human being. They think that the Tibetans, under the Communist Party's control, don't have political rights and freedom. Furthermore, these people [middle class professionals], who live in Western modernization, are physically living in downtown but psychologically are separate from one another other. Tibet is an ideal home for these people. These people's logic is: what they have possessed is the best and what they want to possess is also the best. They want to pursue the so-called ideal home for themselves, but have denied the rights of the Tibetan people to pursue modernization. This is a typical 'post-modern racialism.' For China, more communication will work with the first group of people [those who are ignorant], however, for the other group [those who are middle class professionals], China can only expect that they give up their prejudice themselves. Sometimes prejudice is more terrible than ignorance." ¶2. COCA-COLA'S ACQUISITION "Anti-monopoly decisions should focus on technical levels" 21 Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao) under Guangdong 21 century publishing company Ltd. (03/20): "Although the public notice concerning this decision has five paragraphs, no specifics were revealed. It reads more like a memo. No wonder people doubt that this a government decision rather than a legal verdict. We should obviously pay more attention to the technical level. We should allow people to debate based on market information and statistics rather than wondering whether this is trade protectionism. China should gradually accumulate more accurate statistics for their future use in anti-monopoly judgments. China says no to Coca-Cola. It doesn't mean the Anti-monopoly law started to take an effect. On the contrary, this is the first time. China should be cautious in using the law in order to establish a technical and legal example for the future. However, what people have seen is just a vague conclusion report. On the contrary, it has made overseas investors think that this is a political decision. The decision is shocking, not in the way that the law is being implemented, but in the direction of the government's policy." ¶3. AIG "AIG Bonuses show the ethical risks of intervention" BEIJING 00000727 002 OF 002 21 Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao) under Guangdong 21 century publishing company Ltd. (03/20): "The U.S. House of Representatives are hoping to pass a tax bill that encourages AIG employees to give back their bonuses. However, if they do not give the money back and sue the government, the government is likely to lose in the Supreme Court. We will soon see that as the bailout plan expands, the government will sink deeper and deeper into the ethical mire. The government is paying that ethical price for AIG, however, the government is actually cashing the ethical check that it signed for financial security. This check dates back to 1913 when the FED began. The U.S. government should learn its lesson, to not sign this type of check again and allow their people to take responsibility for their own choices. This way the government will have ethical peace." PICCUTA