TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - CHINA

UNCLAS TOKYO 001251 SIPDIS STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR, EAP/J, EAP/P, PM; USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI; SECDEF FOR OASD/PA; CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA SUBJECT: TOKYO MEDIA REACTION - CHINA ¶1. LEAD STORIES: Top stories on Thursday morning included Health Ministry data pointing to a rise in Japan's fertility rate for the third consecutive year. ¶2. "U.S. Secretary Guarantees 'Dollar's Security'" The business-oriented Nikkei editorialized (6/4): "During his meetings with Chinese leaders, Treasury Secretary Geithner refrained from demanding the revaluation of the yuan and instead tried to address Chinese anxieties about a fall in the value of dollar assets held by the Chinese. The purpose of the trip was apparently to ask the Chinese to continue to invest in U.S. Treasury bonds.... The U.S. and China agreed to hold strategic and economic dialogue talks in July and enhance cooperation for the third G20 summit meeting scheduled for September. China's roles are expanding in view of the global economic crisis, while mutual interdependence between Washington and Beijing is also deepening. 'Coordination' between the two countries is welcomed. At the same time, it is necessary to keep an eye on subtle changes in power dynamics concerning the U.S. dollar." ¶3. "Political Reform Imperative" The conservative Sankei argued in an editorial (6/4): "The Hu administration has been trying.... to democratize China under the communist-party dictatorship. Isn't it necessary for the administration to reevaluate the Tiananmen Square Incident and carry out political reform in order to rectify social problems and democratize the nation?" ¶4. "Long Way to Go on Democratization and Human Rights Fronts" The liberal Mainichi's editorial insisted (6/4): "Even after the completion of the Beijing Olympic Games, Chinese authorities have continued to maintain a high security alert level throughout the country, as citizens and police forces have clashed in various regions. This is a reflection of mounting social frustration, separate from calls for democratization by economic elites.... An attempt to defuse the dissatisfaction that is widely shared by the oppressed poor runs the risk of getting out of control. The problems facing China are more serious than those of 20 years ago." ZUMWALT