Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BEIJING809
2009-03-26 23:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

PRC PROTESTS DOD CHINA MILITARY POWER REPORT

Tags:  PARM PM PREL CH 
pdf how-to read a cable
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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 262332Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3115
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0696
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2116
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 000809 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2029
TAGS: PARM PM PREL CH
SUBJECT: PRC PROTESTS DOD CHINA MILITARY POWER REPORT

REF: STATE 28316

Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Ben Moeling. Reason
s 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 000809

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2029
TAGS: PARM PM PREL CH
SUBJECT: PRC PROTESTS DOD CHINA MILITARY POWER REPORT

REF: STATE 28316

Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Ben Moeling. Reason
s 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: Reading unenthusiastically from prepared
remarks, MFA DG for North American and Oceanian Affairs Zheng
Zeguang formally protested to the A/DCM DOD's annual report
to Congress on China's military power. Zheng criticized the
report as containing "erroneous and unfounded" accusations
that have undermined U.S.-China relations. China will
continue to pursue "peaceful development" and has legitimate
needs to build its military for national security purposes,
Zheng claimed. The Taiwan portion of the report triggered a
recitation by Zheng of China's standard talking points,
followed by the assertion that China handles disputes through
consultation and in accordance with international law. Zheng
closed with a complaint that the report had come out when
Washington and Beijing have a "stable and good beginning" for
relations under the new U.S. administration, arguing that we
need to "eradicate the negative impact" of the report to
reduce the damage done to the bilateral relationship,
particularly mil-mil relations. The A/DCM pointed out that
the report is mandated by Congress, and encouraged China's
responsible participation in world affairs and increased
military transparency. The A/DCM reiterated the U.S.
commitment to our one China policy. End Summary.

ATMOSPHERICS SUGGEST MFA NOT ENTHUSIASTIC
--------------


2. (C) MFA North American and Oceanian Affairs Department
Director General Zheng Zeguang called in the Acting DCM March
26 to discuss the 2009 DOD report to Congress on China's
military power. Acting POL M/C and Assistant Naval Attache
accompanied the A/DCM. Zheng stated that "last year I did
this with your predecessor after the 2008 report was
released, and now I get to do it again." Zheng spoke in
English but worked from a text prepared in Chinese. Zheng's
delivery was quiet and unemotional, and in setting up the
meeting, the MFA U.S. Division Director made a point of
telling Acting POL M/C that "we have to do this, let's just
get it out of the way so it will not be an issue when we are
working on our leaders' meeting."

POINT ONE: CHINA NOT HAPPY WITH THE REPORT

--------------


3. (C) Zheng said that before DOD issued the report, the
Chinese government had discussed the issue with USG officials
in Beijing and Washington, urging the USG to stop issuing
these reports and disseminating "untrue theories" of the
China military threat. Zheng criticized the report for
containing "erroneous and unfounded accusations against
China," and for criticizing China's "legitimate and normal"
defense buildup. Zheng said the report's discussion of the
PRC military threat against Taiwan is "rhetoric that serves
as an excuse for the United States to continue to sell arms
to Taiwan."


4. (C) Zheng protested what he described as the report's
claims that China is projecting power to ensure access to
resources and enforce claims to disputed territories, as well
as the report's "irresponsible remarks about China's naval
strategy." The report has "seriously violated" the norms
guiding international relations and the three Sino-U.S. joint
communiques and undermined both the overall bilateral
relationship and strategic trust between our two countries,
Zheng stated.

POINT TWO: CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT "PEACEFUL"
--------------


5. (C) China's adheres to a "peaceful development policy,"
Zheng continued, and will continue to pursue a security
policy that is defensive in nature. China has all along been
"a strong force safeguarding peace and stability in Asia
Pacific and the world."


6. (C) Zheng advised that China is a sovereign country with
22,000 km of land borders and also 18,000 km of coastline.
To safeguard national security and territorial integrity,
China needs to continue its defense buildup. "This is the
solemn right and responsibility for any sovereign country in

BEIJING 00000809 002 OF 003


the world." China will not participate in any arms race, and
neither will it pose a threat to any country, Zheng declared.
It is "erroneous and unacceptable" for the United States to
continue the annual practice of using the report to
disseminate and spread the idea of a "China threat."

POINT THREE: TAIWAN
--------------


7. (C) Zheng reminded the A/DCM that Taiwan is an
"inalienable part" of Chinese territory, and that recent
months have seen the steady improvement and development of
the cross-Strait relationship. He recited the PRC mantra
that China will continue to strive for peaceful development
of cross-Strait relations on the basis of mutual trust,
putting aside disputes, seeking common ground, resolving
differences and win-win. However, no matter how the Taiwan
Strait situation evolves, China will continue to uphold the
one-China principle, oppose Taiwan independence and oppose
firmly two Chinas or One China, One Taiwan.


8. (C) Zheng urged the United States to abide by its
commitments on Taiwan, adopt the one-China principle, observe
the three joint communiques, oppose Taiwan independence and
oppose Taiwan's participation in any international
organization in which statehood is required for membership.
He also urged the United States to stop selling arms to
Taiwan and stop official military contacts with Taiwan so as
not to hurt the peaceful development of cross-Strait
relations and U.S.-China relations.

POINT FOUR: CHINA IS LAW-ABIDING
--------------


9. (C) Zheng claimed that China "upholds the principle of
resolving disputes through consultation and peaceful
negotiation on the basis of international law." He urged the
United States to "have a clear understanding of China's
policy in this regard and rectify the erroneous practice of
making irresponsible remarks about China's tactics and
policies in dealing with territorial disputes with other
countries." He claimed that issuing the report "hurts the
trust between China and other countries and creates problems
for peace and stability in the region."

POINT FIVE: NOT NOW, WE'RE DOING SO WELL!
--------------


10. (C) Zheng complained that the report was issued "just
when we have had a relatively stable and good beginning with
the new U.S. administration." He noted the upcoming
"high-level exchanges," including the meeting between our two
presidents, and said that the current state of relations "did
not come about easily and required hard work on both sides."

PERORATION: "ERADICATE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT"
--------------


11. (C) Zheng said China urges the United States "to discard
Cold War mentality and biased opinion and view China's
foreign and defense policy in an objective and fair manner."
China calls on the United States to "stop making
irresponsible remarks that hurt mutual trust and cooperation,
and stop this practice of issuing the so-called military
power report." China also urges the United States "to take
immediate actions to eradicate any negative impact on
relations as the result of this report. In so doing, the
United States can reduce the damage done between our two
countries and our two militaries."

DCM RESPONDS
--------------


12. (C) The A/DCM responded that the report is mandated by
the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2000,
and that the report is intended to be factual, descriptive
and analytical. It does not attempt to draw conclusions, he
said, but is intended to let the facts speak for themselves.
He noted that the report discusses weaknesses, as well as
strengths, of the PRC's military.


13. (C) U.S. policy seeks to establish a positive and
cooperative relationship with China, one in which we deepen
and strengthen our ties on issues of common interest and

BEIJING 00000809 003 OF 003


candidly address differences where they persist, the A/DCM
said. He quoted Secretary Clinton's statement that "this is
not a one-way effort. Much of what we will do depends on the
choices China makes about its future at home and abroad."


14. (C) The A/DCM reiterated that the United States welcomes
the rise of a stable, peaceful and prosperous China, and
encourages China to participate responsibly in world affairs
by taking on a greater share of the burden for the stability,
resilience and growth of the international system. He noted
that despite the welcome development of China's routine
publication of defense white papers (the most recent being
China's National Defense in 2008 published on January 20,
2009),much more could be said by China about its build-up of
strategic nuclear and conventional capabilities. China has
left unclear to the international community the purposes and
objectives of the PLA's evolving doctrine and capabilities.


15. (C) On the subject of Taiwan, the A/DCM restated U.S.
policy by declaring that the United States remains committed
to our one China policy based on the three joint communiques
and the Taiwan Relations Act. He said the United States
does not support Taiwan independence and believes that
cross-Strait issues should be resolved peacefully in a manner
acceptable to people on both sides of the Strait, and opposes
unilateral actions by either side to alter the status quo
across the Strait. He took the opportunity to urge China to
work towards a peaceful resolution of its differences with
Taiwan. He reminded Zheng that we make defense articles
available to Taiwan to allow it to maintain a credible
defense as provided for in the Taiwan Relations Act, and
urged China to reduce military deployments aimed at Taiwan
and to pursue a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.


16. (C) Showing a bit more spark, Zheng said the United
States should recognize that it is "only a member of the
international community" and should follow the norms of
international relations and respect territorial sovereignty
and integrity. He said that the United States should look at
China's "legitimate defense buildup" in an objective and fair
manner, and discard its Cold War mentality and zero-sum
perception of China-U.S. relations. He protested that the
Taiwan Relations Act is "a unilateral piece of U.S.
legislation. The three communiques signed by the United
States constitute the guiding principle for Taiwan policy,
not the TRA," he said.
PICCUTA