MEDIA REACTION: Obama's Nuclear Speech, North Korea,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000922 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: Obama's Nuclear Speech, North Korea, U.S-China relations -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. Obama's Nuclear Speech "Obama's 'nuclear weapon-free world' is easier said than done" The official Communist Party international news publication Guangming Daily(Guangming Ribao) (04/07): Calls for a nuclear-free world existed for a long time before President Obama talked about it in his speech. There are several concerns when America calls for a "nuclear weapon-free world". First, the current international nonproliferation regime and the post-war nuclear deterrence strategy can no longer secure America's safety. Second, there are more countries having nuclear weapons along with a lack of nuclear safeguard technologies, which increase the risks of accidents, mistakes, and unauthorized use of nuclear weapons. Third, the maintenance and development of strategic nuclear weapons is very expensive, but there is little chance to put these weapons into real use during a war. Because of the advanced technology in making nuclear weapons, quantity is not the key point to win in a war. Accuracy and killing capacity are more crucial. Finally, America's conventional weapons are more advanced than any country in the world. Even if the world is free of nuclear weapons the U.S. can still be the leader in the military arena. This proposal may not gain full support from Congress. It should be stressed that Obama's Administration has been emphasizing that before the "nuclear-free" goal is met, U.S. should maintain its "powerful nuclear deterrence". ¶2. North Korea "North Korea denies 'failure of missile launch'" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao) (04/07): China's attitude towards the DPRK's launch attracts the world's attention. Chinese experts and researchers think that calling the DPRK's launch "the biggest threat" is an overreaction. Chinese aeronautical expert Pang Zhihao says that it is complicated to define whether the DPRK launched a missile or satellite. Moreover, only the U.S. has the advanced technology and equipment to monitor whether DPRK has successfully launched it into space or not. Professor Zhu Feng from International Strategy Research Center of Peking University says that if it is a satellite, there is no need to discuss cracking down on the DPRK, because each country has the right to peacefully utilize outer space. But if the DPRK launched a missile, it is against the UN resolution. Yang Bojiang, deputy of Japan research in Chinese Institute of Contemporary International Relations, believes that it is unrealistic to pass new sanctions towards DPRK at the UNSC. Tough policies towards North Korea won't benefit the safety and stabilization of North East Asia and neither do they help resolve the nuclear issues in the DPRK. He also says that it's not appropriate to condemn China for failing to meet all its obligations in the "Six Party Talks". The "Six Party Talks" are about "DPRK nuclear" issues not DPRK missiles or satellites. By expressing such a statement, western countries want China to put more pressure on the DPRK. China will not change its diplomatic independence because of pressure from the U.S. and Japan. ¶3. U.S-China relations "China-U.S. relations entering a strategic fast track - the London agreement achieved by the two leaders made the strategic partnership only one step away" The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao) (04/06): Bilateral relations are transforming from security-oriented to comprehensive interdependence. Unlike the previous security-oriented relationship, in this comprehensive interdependent relation, none of the problems are a single aspect that can change the overall U.S.-China relationship, including economic, military, and political issues. Therefore, the general U.S.-China relations are not likely to suffer fluctuations. There are reasons for us to keep optimistic about the future development of U.S.-China relations. The most important one is that under the current global financial crisis, the U.S. and China have to put economic recovery as the first topic of discussion. Compared with economic cooperation, military cooperation is much more difficult where hostility is easy to appear. But because of the easing of Taiwan issues, it can be foreseen that there is a lot of space and less difficulty for military cooperation. Moreover, the BEIJING 00000922 002 OF 002 new liberalism in the Obama Administration helps to reduce the "China threat theory" within the U.S. So the current domestic and international situation has provided better opportunities to further develop the U.S.-China relations. However opportunities are one thing, outcomes are another. If the two can rationally judge their power or interests that is not an easy thing to do. WEINSTEIN