VZCZCXRO6770
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2930 2950848
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 220848Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6541
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS BEIJING 002930
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 KMDR OPRC CH
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-ISRAEL, "G2," U.S. POLICY IN SOUTHEAST
ASIA
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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-ISRAEL
"U.S. reassuring Israel"
The Beijing-based newspaper sponsored by official intellectual
publication Guangming Daily and Guangdong Provincial official
publication Nanfang Daily The Beijing News (Xin Jing
Bao)(10/22)(page A28): "Zhu Zhaoyi, an expert on Israeli issues,
said that the background to the [U.S.-Israel military] exercise is
the Iran nuclear issue. The joint military exercise is meant to
reassure Israel and show that the U.S. is still committed to
protecting its security. At the same time, the U.S. wants to put
further pressure on Iran, and both the U.S. and Israel hope to deter
Syria and Hezbollah through the military exercise. This then can
improve the deterioration in Israel's external strategic environment
and ease pressures on Israel."
2. "G2"
"The G2 is not the new international order advocated by China"
The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(10/22)(page 14): "China will not agree to the
G2 idea for the following reasons. First, although cooperation
between the U.S. and China has a deep foundation, bilateral
differences, such as human rights and Taiwan, cannot be quickly
removed. Second, China's national strength is far behind the
U.S.'s. Under the circumstances, even if China and the U.S.
established a G2, China would ultimately discover that it had gained
nothing from its investment. Third, considering the many different
interests of the world's economies, one to two countries or
international organizations cannot solve global issues. After all,
the G2 would ultimately be about more than just enhanced cooperation
between the U.S. and China in international affairs. Fourth, it is
questionable whether or not the U.S. really wants to share
leadership with China. Sharing leadership with the U.S. also does
not meet the basic diplomatic policy of China, which is still in the
primary phase of its development. China has no intention to seek
hegemony. To conclude, China should approach its relations with the
U.S., the EU, Japan, Russia, and other big countries properly,
respecting multilateralism in the international system and avoiding
joint governance between the U.S. and China."
3. U.S. POLICY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
"The U.S. is accelerating its return to Southeast Asia"
The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming
Ribao)(10/22)(page 8): "President Obama will attend the APEC summit
next month in Singapore and meet the leaders of the seven ASEAN
members. This is yet another step by the U.S. to accelerate its
return to Southeast Asia. ASEAN has always been the traditional way
the U.S. exerted influence in the region on issues of concern to its
political, economic and security interests. To accelerate its
return to Southeast Asia, the U.S. has been actively promoting a
bilateral summit with ASEAN this year. Simon Tay, Chairman of the
Singapore Institute of International Affairs, argued that Obama's
policy of deepening U.S. engagement with the region is welcome. It
is necessary for great powers, including China, to maintain a
healthy relationship with ASEAN which will help maintain ASEAN's
role as a hub in the wider Asia region."
HUNTSMAN