VZCZCXRO7262
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #4550 3510917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160917Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1411
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS BEIJING 004550
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: OPRC KMDR CH
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, U.S. ELECTION, IRAQ
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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS
"The trap in the 'U.S.-China marriage'"
The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(12/16): "American scholars have brought up
two new concepts, the 'G2', the U.S.-China two-country group and
'Chimerica.' These concepts are like 'U.S.-China marriage theory'
which shows that China could have an equal position with the U.S.
However, this concept actually speaks about how to include China, an
alien to the international economy, in the system. It is not talking
about the global economic model. This concept is in fact another
version of the 'China threat theory' and an alternative way to deal
with China's threat. There has already been strategic dialogue
between the U.S. and China to promote U.S.-China economic
cooperation, why then, are the G2 and Chimerica concepts needed? In
the G2, the two sides would reflect the power in the World,
represented by the U.S. and China. Thus no matter the G2 or the
Chimerica, both are systems subtly designed for the benefit of the
U.S. With China's strength at present, it will be incapable of
making any influence in an arrangement like the G2. What's more, the
world's trend is going towards multilateralism, not polarization.
The appearance of this type of concept reflects the rapid growth of
the Chinese economy and the fact that the international society
needs to begin to consider China. There is still a long road ahead
in order for China to gain an equal position to the U.S."
2. U.S. ELECTION
"U.S. election follows the customs of old"
The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao) (12/16):
"The U.S. presidential election did not end on November 4th. There
was a voting of Elector groups that voted on December 15th. Although
this is a meaningless vote, according to the American constitution,
all Elector groups must be processed for the election to be
effective. The process reveals the flaws of American style
democracy. First, in 2000, although Gore had gained the majority of
the votes in the national vote, and Bush had won in the Elector
votes, Bush won overall. The Elector groups' votes would make
regular votes valueless; second, this system causes the votes of
voters in different states to appear unequal in value, because some
medium and small sized states would influence the final result more
than others. Thirdly, the U.S. states are divided into Red and Blue
categories. In the State of Alabama, Obama won 40% of the votes, but
he can't actually own the state because McCain won the majority of
the votes in the State. People should be clued in to the flaws of
the U.S.'s voting politics."
3. Iraq
"While in Iraq, Bush is attacked by a man throwing shoes"
The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(12/16): "Throwing shoes at a person is the
most insulting thing one can do in the Middle Eastern country of
Iraq. Bush has made great efforts to down play the influence of the
event. He has expressed that he was not insulted by the incident.
Bush had planned to add merit to his political achievements by
visiting Iraq before his administration ends. However, this issue
with the shoes and the following protests asking for the thrower's
release from prison has shown how different the two sides feel about
the war. Iraqis took to the streets and cheered the thrower as a
'national hero.'"
PICCUTA