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 -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶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