VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBJ #3992/01 3260126
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 220126Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2352
INFO RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 8488
UNCLAS BEIJING 023992
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA CH
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR ECONOMIC OFFICER
HENRY LEW
REF: HONG KONG 4515
WELCOME TO CHINA
-----------------
1. Embassy Beijing warmly welcomes and grants country
clearance to Henry Lew to travel to Beijing November
29-December 8 to provide support for the Strategic Economic
Dialogue.
2. Point of Contact in Beijing will be Economic OMS Lisa
Cantonwine:
Office: (86-10) 6532-3831, ext. 6999
Mobile: (86) 136-0107-7984
Unclassified email: CantonwineLM@state.gov
SIPDIS
3. Reservations in Beijing have been made at the Kerry
Center Hotel:
1 Guanghua Road, Beijing 100020, China
Telephone: (86-10) 6561-8833
Fax: (86-10) 6561-2626
Website: www.shangri-la.com
Per request, no airport transportation has been arranged.
------------------------------
Security and Threat Assessment
------------------------------
4. The threat level for all China posts is considered low
for crime and medium for terrorism.
5. The Regional Security Office is not aware of any specific
threat directed against any US person or traveling
delegation. Should such information be developed, the
Chinese security services are committed to advise the Embassy
of pertinent information and to provide necessary security
coverage.
6. China experiences a moderate rate of crime, including
recent incidents ranging from petty theft to murder.
Pickpockets are particularly active in crowded markets and
foreigners are often sought out as primary targets. Petty
theft from hotel rooms is uncommon, but visitors are advised
not to leave valuables lying loose or unattended in their
rooms. It is the policy of this Mission that employees,
their family members and official visitors to China must not
knowingly purchase counterfeit or pirated products during
their stay in China. Also, foreigners may be approached in
tourist areas by individuals seeking to exchange U.S. dollars
or to sell pirated or fake products, such as compact discs,
in violation of intellectual property rights laws. These
transactions are illegal, violate post policy, and must be
avoided.
7. All U.S. citizen personnel serving under Chief of Mission
authority in a temporary duty status of 30 days or more must
complete appropriate overseas personal security training
prior to travel (04 State 66580). Employees who have
completed the Security Overseas Seminar Course at State,s
Foreign Service Institute (FSI) after June 1, 2000 meet this
requirement. All other TDYers must either 1) complete the
approved four-day seminar at FSI entitled Abroad
for Families and Employees (SAFE) or 2) have their agency
certify to the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security
that the employee has undergone equivalent security training.
The contact for this certification is Assistant Director of
Training, DS/T, at telephone (703) 205-2617. Country
clearance will not be granted for any traveler with planned
TDY in excess of 30 days if this information is not
stated/certified. POC for additional information is DS RSO,
Beijing at: ds rso Beijing@nointernetmail.state.gov(Note:
Travelers from DHS/CBP, DIA, FBI, DOD, and the Peace Corp
have been pre-certified by their agencies with DS.)
8. All/all official visitors are required to obtain a
pre-departure, country specific counterintelligence briefing
from their parent agency before departing for China.
Visitors should contact the security office of their parent
agency. If the parent agency is unable to give the briefing
or needs assistance/guidance, the visitor should contact the
Bureau of Diplomatic Security,s Division of
Counterintelligence (DS/ICI/CI) at 571-345-7641, 3966, or
3968 to schedule a briefing. HQ DS/CI is located at SA-20,
1801 Lynn St., Rosslyn, Virginia 20522-2008. Department of
State personnel should contact the DS/ICI/CI directly to
schedule a briefing. Official visitors may also be required
to attend a post specific security briefing upon their
arrival in country. The type of briefing is contingent on
the length of the planned visit. Upon arrival in Beijing,
all TDY personnel should contact the Regional Security Office
at 6532-6036 to determine level of briefing required.
9. Visitors are reminded to take necessary precautions in
safeguarding sensitive material and information. All non-USG
facilities must be considered technically compromised and may
not be used to discuss, process, or store classified
information. Telephone calls, e-mail, and Internet usage are
routinely monitored and hotel rooms searched.
10. All TDY U.S. citizen employees of the U.S. Government,
civilian or military, who are under the authority of the
Chief of Mission are subject to the reporting requirement
stated in 12 FAM 262 regarding contact reports, i.e. any
initial (non-business related) contact with a national from a
country with a Critical threat (counterintelligence) post, as
listed on the Department,s Security Environment Threat List
(SETL), must be reported. In general, employee reporting
should occur within one business day after such contact has
occurred. If unable to report within this time frame, or
unsure about the need to report at all, employees should
contact the RSO or PSO as soon as prcticable. If the
RSO/PSO is unavailable, notfy the Management Officer or the
Deputy Chiefof Mission.
11. Per 12 FAM 262, this reporting requirement generally
applies whenever:
(1) Illegal or unauthorized access is sought to classified or
otherwise sensitivQnformation.
(2) The employee is concerned that he or she may the target
of actual or attempted exploitation by a foreign entity.
(3) That national attempts to establish recurring contact or
seems to be actively seeking a close personal association,
beyond professional or personal courtesies.
12. Travelers should be aware that previous visitors have
reported that their unattended computers have been subjected
to tampering. The efforts may be directed toward obtaining
information on the computers, but problems ranging from
viruses left on their systems to hard drives, which are no
longer functional, have been reported. Hotels and private
Chinese Internet providers have in some cases given hotel
guests thumb drives for use with their computers.
The source and quality of these devices are unknown. Such
devices could contain malicious codes and viruses and should
not be used on government computers. Official visitors are
reminded that non-inspectable electrical/electronic
equipment, i.e., cellular telephones, laptop computers,
personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., may not be brought
into the controlled access areas of the Chancery. If a
visitor intends to travel with USG-owned computers and
equipment for use within the chancery, please contact the
Regional Security Officer at 86-10-6532-3831 ext. 6058, or
SheehanRP@state.gov or EckertRA@state.gov, for information
and guidelines.
13. Additionally, all classified and sensitive materials
must be secured at the Embassy upon arrival in country. All
classified material must be brought into China via diplomatic
pouch.
14. Travelers must contact the Embassy or nearest Consulate
General upon arrival in China and provide telephone and
address information while in country.
15. Passports and visas are required. Americans arriving /
transiting without valid passports and Chinese visas are not
permitted to enter China and may also be subject to fines.
Visas are required to transit China on the way to and from
Mongolia or North Korea. Those visitors traveling to China on
a single entry visa should be reminded that trips to Hong
Kong or Macau Special Administrative Regions are treated as a
visit outsiQainland China. If the traveler is planning to
return to Mainland China after a visit to one of these two
destinations on the same single entry visa, they will be
denied entry. Visitors facing this dilemma will be required
to apply for a new visa at the Chinese consulate in Hong Kong
to gain re-entry into Mainland China.
Randt