MEDIA REACTION: DALAI LAMA MEETING, IRAN

UNCLAS BEIJING 000413 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: DALAI LAMA MEETING, IRAN -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. DALAI LAMA MEETING a. "The Dalai Lama's lies and the prejudice of the West" The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming Ribao)(02/21)(pg 8): "Although it does not require the approval of another country for a state leader to meet someone, sometimes there are exceptions. For instance, can any state leader meet with Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders and ignore the feelings of the U.S. government and the American people? Since the United States claims that it will promote a 'positive, constructive, and comprehensive relationship' with China, it needs to take the Chinese people's feelings into account. Although the Dalai appears to be non-violent and not seeking independence, he is actually an example of duplicity, he says one thing and does another. His goal of seeking Tibetan independence has never changed. The Dalai Lama is good at making use of the West's concerns. His first playing card is that he is seeking the so-called protection of Tibet's unique & dying cultural traditions. In fact, only after the opening up and reform, could Tibet's traditions and culture have any long-term development or actual protection. The Dalai's second card is seeking the protection of Tibet's unique ecological environment. In fact he knows very well the government's emphasis on Tibet's ecological environment but he pretends not to know it." b. "American debt is still an ideal investment choice" The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/21)(pg 15): "Decreasing holdings of American debt doesn't necessarily meet with the country's economic interests. Currently it is still hard to break the interest setup in the international financial system. Thus the best choice is to maximize China's interest within the system, not to leave the system. If one believes that holding U.S.-dollar assets has a higher risk, what kinds of other assets are available for China which has a lower risk? China doesn't have many choices. Although China can use the foreign reserves it holds as a negotiation chip, as the country's accumulated fortune for many years, China still has to manage and invest the reserve according to market rules. Since American debt is an investment choice, whether or not to continue keeping the holdings relies on the sober judgment of the future international market exchange. Judging from the increased holdings of American debt by developed countries, decision-making departments should bear an overall view and not be influenced by ideological remarks. Therefore, at present, holding the American debt is still a good choice for China's foreign reserve investment, otherwise, the risks of diversified foreign reserve investment methods will be higher." ¶2. IRAN "The West's blind toughness will intensify the Iranian nuclear issue" The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/21)(pg 14): "The continuous postponement and intensity of the Iran issue are completely relevant with the West's double standards on the nuclear issue. Iran is just 'developing' nuclear weapons while Israel has possessed nuclear weapons; Iran hasn't invaded any country yet while Israel is still occupying Arabian territory. Why has Israel been ignored? No matter how serious the contradictions between Arab and Iran are, those are internal contradictions inside the Islamic world, which are completely incomparable to the contradictions between the Islamic world with the West and Israel. The West often resorts to force when settling international disputes, but the key issue is whether a Western military strike would force Iran to suspend or abandon its nuclear process? Furthermore, a war on Iran is bound to bring disaster to the Persian Gulf and its surrounding areas. The scale and process of war may not be under the control of the West. Even if Iran would end in 'tragedy,' the West may not necessarily have a better outcome. On the Iranian nuclear issue, if the West does not change course, but rather goes [about this issue] with blind arrogance, the results will be harmful to others as well as to themselves." HUNTSMAN