MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CHINA VISIT; CHINA; NORTH

UNCLAS HONG KONG 002092 DEPT FOR INR/R/MR, INR/IC/CD, I/FW DEPT FOR EAP/PD, EAP/CM, EAP/P DEPT FOR VOA/BRF, TV-WPA WHITE HOUSE FOR NSC PRC POSTS FOR PA AIT USPACOM FOR FOR CIS PD ADVISER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CHINA VISIT; CHINA; NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA TOPICS: ¶1. President Obama's China visit ¶2. China ¶3. North and South Korea HEADLINES AND EXCERPTS: ¶1. President Obama's China visit "Surprise and expectation from Obama's China visit" The mass-circulation Chinese-language Apple Daily News remarked in an editorial (11/13): "U.S. President Obama will arrive in Shanghai on November 15 commencing his maiden visit to China. As a leader of a free world and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, the first surprise brought by Obama to Chinese netizens was that those in China yesterday found that they were able to access freely Facebook, Twitter, Blogspot, YouTube, etc. Hence, they hope that Obama will topple the Chinese-style Berlin War - the Great Fire Wall. However, the political reality of both the U.S. and China tells that the higher the Chinese netizens' expectation, the more disappointed they will be.... Obama's China visit will focus on economic issues like the Renminbi exchange rate and China's market economy status. Of course, Obama will raise the level of cooperation on environmental protection and climate change. But will he take steps on the human rights issue and how much effort will he make to topple the Great Fire Wall? It is questionable. The U.S. Embassy in China yesterday invited a group of Chinese bloggers to a seminar. The U.S. was asked if it shared common values with China. U.S. officials did not respond directly. They just said both China and the U.S. were big powers and they had common interests like peace, prosperity and regional security. It can be seen that China and the U.S. share common interests but do not share common values." ¶2. China "The West praises China; China must watch out for 'being killed by the one who praises'" The independent Chinese-language Hong Kong Economic Times commented in an editorial (11/13): "The international financial magazine 'Forbes' yesterday announced the global power list. Chinese President Hu Jintao ranked second, just behind U.S. President Obama. Facing the praise of the west, China should remain indifferent no matter whether it is being favored or humiliated. It should watch out for 'being killed by the one that praises.' It should avoid being taken advantage of by others using the excuse that China has the responpiwXd. China is still a developing country. Its GDP per capita ranks beyond 100. If it has to bear the so-called responsibility of the big power, for example, to abide by the relatively high emission reduction requirement, its economic development will be checked and it will easily be taken advantage of. Of course, China has its international responsibility but it must act according to its capability." ¶3. North and South Korea "Why was there a military skirmish between North and South Korea?" The pro-PRC Chinese-language Macau Daily News remarked in an editorial (11/13): "...The skirmish this time is not accidental. Judging from past skirmishes, the incident this time was inevitable. The root of the problem is the military confrontation between North and South Korea and the fault in the regional security mechanism. The tense relations between North and South Korea have led to a state of extreme suspicion and fear. Any sign of trouble may result in a tragic event.... The skirmish this time happened at a very sensitive and subtle moment. On the one hand, the North Korean nuclear issue has been in a stalemate. Obama will soon pay his first state visit to South Korea to exchange views on the North Korean nuclear issue and U.S.-South Korean relations. Against such a background, both North and South Korea will suspect the other side is seizing the opportunity to stir up troubles in order to reap profits. North Korea thinks South Korea, in order to stress the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, will try to create a tense atmosphere in the Korean peninsula to show Obama the necessity and urgency of safeguarding the U.S.-South Korean alliance. South Korea thinks North Korea will not hesitate to create military skirmishes in order to attract U.S. attention, keep the U.S. from ignoring it and gaining more bargaining chips and benefits in the North Korea-U.S. bilateral talks." MARUT