MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, DALAI LAMA MEETING,

UNCLAS BEIJING 000443

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: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, DALAI LAMA MEETING,
TAIWAN

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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS

"The United States exagerates that China is the top network threat"


The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial
news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/24)(pg 3): "Tang
Lan, expert of information security at the China Institute of
Contemporary International Relations said that generally speaking,
at the beginning of every year the United States focuses on certain
topics to exaggerate against China. The Google incident is their
exaggeration for this year. The United States is trying to portray
China to the international community as a public enemy in the area
of network security. However, the negative impact of the U.S.
exaggeration concerning China's hacking attacks will be limited and
temporary. In fact the U.S. is trying to use the issue to contain
China's rise. Most countries know the intention of the U.S., and
therefore they stayed calm and did not follow in the U.S.'s
footsteps. The Russian media commented that there is also a
controversy inside the U.S. about this issue. Some believed that
China was neither here nor there concerning the hacker attack and
that the issue was purposefully exaggerated up by a third country."


2. DALAI LAMA MEETING

"A meeting hidden in the White House Map Room"

Guangdong 21st Century Publishing Company Ltd.'s business newspaper
21st Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao)(02/23)(pg 3):
"Dr. Wang Jinjiang from Fudan University's School of International
Relations and Public Affairs said that the newly declassified U.S.
diplomatic archives show that from the very beginning, Tibet's armed
rebellions were supported by U.S. anti-China forces. Zhang Zhirong
from the Institute of International Relations at Beijing University
said that, before 1943, the U.S.'s Tibet policy was very clear,
admitting Tibet is a part of China. However, along with the U.S.'s
additional involvement in the Tibet issue, its attitude has also
become vague. Dr. Wang also said, in the end of 1960, that
decreasing aid to the Dalai clique was one positive change that the
Nixon government made while improving Sino-U.S. relations while
fighting against the former Soviet Union. Every American president
who met the Dalai Lama has emphasized the private nature of their
meeting. In fact, all along, the White House has not been concerned
about the Tibet issue but rather the United States' own interests."



3. TAIWAN

"The U.S. exaggerates when stating that the Taiwanese air force is
vulnerable"

The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial
news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/24)(pg 16): "A
Pentagon report described Taiwan's defense capability as very
vulnerable. This is not the first time that the U.S. has tried to
use the cross-Strait imbalance in military strength to scare Taiwan.
Experts believe that this report was written to make the case for
selling its F-16 fighter airplanes to Taiwan. Yu Wanli from Beijing
University said that, up till now, it is not quite likely that the
U.S. will sell Taiwan F-16s. The U.S. has clearly promised not to
sell Taiwan large-scale offensive weapons, including F-16s. However,
if the U.S. eats its words [that it promises not to sell Taiwan its
F-16s] and goes ahead with the sale anyway, China will not accept
this and will conduct severe countermeasures. Wang Jianmin, a China
Academy of Social Science researcher, also said that the report is
very unusual. The U.S. may use the report as a means to deeply
interfere with the strategic layout of Taiwan. By extorting China,
the U.S. will fulfill their bigger political plot."

HUNTSMAN