JANUARY 28, 2010 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: TALKS WITH DALAI LAMA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000232 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PARM MASS EINT TINT SENV CH AF JM SUBJECT: JANUARY 28, 2010 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: TALKS WITH DALAI LAMA REPRESENTATIVES, EU ARMS EMBARGO, U.S. STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, AFGHSANISTAN CONFERENCE, GAO ZHISHENG ¶1. Key points at the January 28 MFA press briefing were: -- Chinese officials will meet with representatives of the Dalai Lama for talks in the "near term." -- The EU arms embargo against China was the result of "political prejudice" and China demanded that it be lifted. -- Requests for information on the whereabouts of rights activist Gao Zhisheng were "unreasonable" and journalists had no right to make such requests. Talks with Dalai Lama's Special Envoy -------------- ¶2. Ma stated that talks between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama would take place "in the near term." He would not confirm whether the talks were currently ongoing or where they would take place. Ma said the Tibet issue was clearly an internal affair of China and that the international community, including the United States, recognized Tibet as an inalienable part of China. He referred additional questions on the subject to the "competent authorities" for more specific information. EU Arms Embargo on China -------------- ¶4. China had seen reports of comments by Spanish officials that Spain would like to use its presidency to begin discussions on lifting the EU arms embargo on China, Ma said. China's position on the EU arms embargo was consistent - China demanded an end to the embargo because it represented "political prejudice" against China and was contrary to "world trends." Lifting the embargo would remove this issue as an obstacle in EU-PRC relations. State of the Union Speech -------------- ¶5. Asked about President Obama's State of the Union address, Ma replied that China was "looking into it." The U.S. was the country with the greatest influence in the world, Ma said, and China hoped that its policies would continue to contribute to peace. Cooperation between the United States and China continued to be important to world peace. Afghanistan Conference; Clinton-Yang Meeting -------------- ¶6. Ma confirmed that Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was in London to participate in the London Conference on Afghanistan. FM Yang would engage in in-depth discussions and an objective review of the situation in Afghanistan which would help increase coordination to help Afghanistan with its reconstruction efforts, Ma said. ¶7. Ma confirmed that Secretary Clinton and FM Yang would meet in London on January 28 to discuss US-China relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. Ma had no comment on whether internet issues would be discussed. Google -------------- ¶8. Ma had no comment on whether the Chinese government would engage in talks with Google, adding that China's position on the issue was well known. Kazakhstan: Cross-border River Issues -------------- ¶9. China attached great importance to partnership with Kazakhstan and to fair and reasonable protection of natural resources, Ma stated. China and Kazakhstan had signed agreements on cross-border river management and maintained close cooperation on the issue of cross-border rivers. China supported sustainable development, respected other countries' rights and interests, and the recognized the responsibilities of upstream-river countries with regard to their impact on downstream-river countries. DPRK: American Detained, Artillery Exchange -------------- ¶10. China had seen reports that an American citizen had been detained by North Korea, but Ma said he was not aware of the BEIJING 00000232 002 OF 002 specifics of the case. Asked whether the individual had entered China legally Ma had no comment. ¶11. China had taken note of reports of artillery exchanges between the DPRK and South Korea and hoped that the parties involved would make efforts to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. Whereabouts of Gao Zhisheng -------------- ¶12. The BBC asked for a commitment by Ma to provide information on the whereabouts of lawyer and rights activist Gao Zhisheng, missing since February 2009. Ma responded that the request was "unreasonable." China was a country ruled by law with 1.3 billion people and the BBC had "no right" to ask such a question. Calling the request "absurd," Ma refused to discuss the issue further. Sri Lanka -------------- ¶13. China had seen the results of Presidential elections in Sri Lanka and had taken note of the re-election of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. As a close and friendly neighbor, China hoped for stability in Sri Lanka and for an enduring and lasting peace in that country. Jamaican Visit to China -------------- ¶14. Ma announced that, at the invitation of Premier Wan Jiabao, Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding will visit China February 1 to 5, his first visit to China since taking office in 2007. During the visit, the two sides will sign economic and trade agreements. HUNTSMAN