VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHBJ #3361 3500901
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160901Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7254
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS BEIJING 003361
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: CLIMATE CHANGE, AFGHANISTAN, WAR ON TERROR
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Editorial Quotes
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1. CLIMATE CHANGE
"The final stand-off in Copenhagen: China has resisted
Anglo-American pressure"
The Shanghai-based Shanghai Media Group (SMG) publication, China
Business News (Diyi Caijing)(12/16)(pg A4): "By now, developing
countries and developed countries don't give in to each other's
wishes, especially when there is no sign of a loosening of the
developed countries' stance on long-term financial aid and reduction
goals. This type of confrontation has lowered all the parties'
expectations for the final result. In the past two days, the
jointly posed public challenges by developed countries against
China, from their reductions promise, their reductions measurement
to their inspection standards, have been largely distant from their
praise two months ago about China's great efforts towards reduction.
Xie Zhenhua, the Deputy Director of the National Development and
Reform Commission and the head of Chinese delegation to Copenhagen,
said that China's voluntary mitigation actions are open, transparent
and legally protected. Their statistical evaluation system and
accountability measures are in place and will be announced to the
public and the world. However, China will by no means accept the
international requirement that reductions be measurable, reportable
and verifiable."
2. AFGHANISTAN
"Getting involved in Afghan affairs is helpful for improving China's
image"
The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(12/16)(pg 14): "Many American elites believe
that China has strategic designs in Afghanistan. There is also
speculation in China about the U.S.' intentions in Afghanistan.
These speculations and suspicions will surely harm the bilateral
relationship and lead to a new Cold War. But in fact, getting
involved in Afghan affairs will help China take a crucial step
towards becoming a responsible big country. First, Afghanistan has
both a strategic meaning and an economic meaning for China. A
stable and efficient Afghan government will ensure China's strategic
interests and its economic interests, like opening a corridor to
Central Asia, its energy and coal mines. Second, right now China's
international influence is increasing along with its rising national
strength. If China does not do anything about the Afghanistan
issue, the international society's expectation on China will turn
into worry and speculation, which will harm China's image. Third,
China's ignorance over the Afghanistan issue will offer more excuses
to those who criticized China for only caring about economic issues,
in those countries where China demand resources, and not about
political issues. Fourth, China's help could gain the trust of the
United States and other NATO countries who have become tired of the
Afghanistan war. In this way China can have a better say in
negotiations concerning its core interests within these countries.
Finally, getting involved in Afghan affairs can meet the U.S.
request for strategic reassurance with China, removing deeply-rooted
bilateral suspicions."
3. WAR ON TERROR
"New U.S. counterterrorism strategy is being tested"
The official intellectual publication Guangming Daily (Guangming
Ribao)(12/16)(pg 8): "One of the most prominent changes in Obama's
new Afghanistan strategy is that its goal in the War on terror has
been downgraded, from a thorough elimination of the Taliban to
removing camps of the Al Qaeda near the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders
while the Karzai government remains un-ousted. Quite a few American
officials have doubts about whether Obama's new strategy can work.
The Karzai government, which just went through a corruption scandal,
has quite a low reputation. It seems that, for Karzai, right now
the campaign against corruption is more important than the war on
terror. What's more, Afghanistan's security continues to
deteriorate although the United States and its allies repeatedly
send more troops. Under pressure from the military, Pakistani
President Asif Ali Zardari is struggling to maintain his authority,
and as his approval rating falls, he is fighting for his political
life. This increases the uncertainties of Obama's new
counterterrorism strategy. If the United States sends troops to
Pakistan in search of Al Qaeda operatives, the Pakistani people will
be infuriated and the United States will face a much larger war in
Pakistan and Afghanistan, which is not what Obama wants."
GOLDBERG