MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH, U.S.-JAPAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000167 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: PREL ECON SENV KGHG KMDR OPRC CH SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH, U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONS -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH a. "Secretary Clinton's speech promotes internet freedom" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(01/22)(pg 3): "Although the U.S. officials denied that Secretary Clinton's speech was targeted at China, after Google threatened China that it would pull out of the market, this is hard for the Chinese people to believe. Yu Wanli, an expert at the Center for Strategic Studies at Beijing University, said that U.S. decision-makers realize that the Internet can be an effective tool, in a growing number of international events, to fulfill the political purposes and shape the global leadership of the U.S. Other than at China, Secretary Clinton's speech was also directed against the Islamic world. It seems to be the one-sided wish of the U.S. to discuss Internet freedom during a speech as their new national policy. This is very likely to cause contradiction between nations on this issue and the world will soon be divided. This so-called Internet freedom, is in nature, freedom under the U.S.'s control. The U.S. will definitely not allow its enemies, like Bin Laden, to enjoy Internet freedom. If there is to be Internet freedom, the U.S. should hand their service terminals within the U.S. to a world-recognized international organization, like the UN, and not keep them in its own hands." b. "Expose the United States' 'network diplomacy'" Guangdong 21st Century Publishing Company Ltd.'s business newspaper 21st Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao)(01/22)(pg 3): "Hu Yong, Associate Professor of Beijing University's School of Journalism and Communication, China's Internet observer, does not agree that one can link Hillary's foreign policy with the interests of some U.S. IT giants, but agrees that the Obama administration is increasingly adept at using Internet technology in its diplomacy. He pointed out that current diplomacy, which is focused on trade, climate, science and technology and many other areas, is different from past diplomacy, which is focused on politics and military. Government must attract, rather than just politicians and diplomats, non-governmental organizations and civilians, academics, and the 
media to participate in its diplomatic affairs. It is widely speculated that Hillary Clinton's speech will not only lay-out the U.S. government's strategy on Internet freedom, but also release to the outside world the latest Internet technology. Hu Yong believes that if this is true, then the 'Google incident is only the beginning of a rolling snowball,' which could lead to a game between China and the U.S., and greatly impact the trends in Internet development. During the afternoon of January 21, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters that if Google and other foreign enterprises operating in China have problems, they should be resolved according to the Chinese law, and that the Chinese government is willing to help them solve their problems. The 'Google incident' should not be linked to the two governments and/ or their bilateral relations. He also said that when involving national security, and some no-good content, Internet supervision is normal. In this aspect, different views can be resolved through legal means." c. "Internet has become a new battlefield between China and the U.S." The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(01/21)(pg 4): "In the U.S., after the Cold War, various POLITICAL groups lobbied the U.S. legislative institutes to provide more support to 'penetrating the blocked Internet.' Lately, the U.S. government has had a more ambitious strategic plan: to construct a network environment, which is beneficial for the U.S., by controlling information flow. Thus the U.S. State Department is collaborating with Google, Twitter and other IT giants to jointly launch software that 'will enable everyone to use the Internet freely,' using a kind of 'U.S. government provided anti-blocking software,' in an attempt to spread ideology and values in line with the United States' demands. Regarding her unusual enthusiasm before and after the Google incident, it is still unclear how much influence Secretary Clinton has personally brought to this plan. When a country thinks that certain parts of the Internet poses a threat, it is supposed to take action to restrict this content. This is the bottom line. However, the U.S. government's current behaviors are challenging this bottom line. The U.S.-China divergences in their bilateral RELATIONS concerning information security, human rights and ideology have once again bubbled to the surface. The Google incident underscores the importance of incorporating information security into China's overall national security strategy. The emergence of information technology has posed a great challenge to the traditional concept of BEIJING 00000167 002 OF 002 national sovereignty, as well as one's ability to safeguard sovereignty. Countries that have information technology advantages put great pressure on China." ¶2. U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONS "The United States and Japan are playing the 'China card'" The China Radio International sponsored newspaper World News Journal (Shijie Xinwenbao)(01/22)(pg 2): "At present, the U.S. feels itself incapable in many areas: it needs a new ally as well as new partners like China. The U.S. intends to use its China card to force Japan to come closer to the U.S., daring not to drift away from the U.S. At the same time, it also provokes Sino-Japan RELATIONS to increase its negotiation chips with Japan. Japan is also using the China card to pressure the U.S. Nowadays Japan often emphasizes that the relationship between the U.S., Japan and China should be equilateral. Wang Yusheng, the Executive Director of China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, said both the United States and Japan are trying to play the 'China card,' as China affects the new U.S.- Japan relationship. However, because China upholds the principle of peaceful development and seeks equal partnerships, the United States and Japan are not able to play this card, not to mention to play it well." HUNTSMAN