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FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7704
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000167
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: SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH, U.S.-JAPAN
RELATIONS
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Editorial Quotes
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1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH
a. "Secretary Clinton's speech promotes internet freedom"
The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(01/22)(pg 3): "Although the U.S. officials
denied that Secretary Clinton's speech was targeted at China, after
Google threatened China that it would pull out of the market, this
is hard for the Chinese people to believe. Yu Wanli, an expert at
the Center for Strategic Studies at Beijing University, said that
U.S. decision-makers realize that the Internet can be an effective
tool, in a growing number of international events, to fulfill the
political purposes and shape the global leadership of the U.S.
Other than at China, Secretary Clinton's speech was also directed
against the Islamic world. It seems to be the one-sided wish of the
U.S. to discuss Internet freedom during a speech as their new
national policy. This is very likely to cause contradiction between
nations on this issue and the world will soon be divided. This
so-called Internet freedom, is in nature, freedom under the U.S.'s
control. The U.S. will definitely not allow its enemies, like Bin
Laden, to enjoy Internet freedom. If there is to be Internet
freedom, the U.S. should hand their service terminals within the
U.S. to a world-recognized international organization, like the UN,
and not keep them in its own hands."
b. "Expose the United States' 'network diplomacy'"
Guangdong 21st Century Publishing Company Ltd.'s business newspaper
21st Century Business Herald (21Shiji Jingji Baodao)(01/22)(pg 3):
"Hu Yong, Associate Professor of Beijing University's School of
Journalism and Communication, China's Internet observer, does not
agree that one can link Hillary's foreign policy with the interests
of some U.S. IT giants, but agrees that the Obama administration is
increasingly adept at using Internet technology in its diplomacy.
He pointed out that current diplomacy, which is focused on trade,
climate, science and technology and many other areas, is different
from past diplomacy, which is focused on politics and military.
Government must attract, rather than just politicians and diplomats,
non-governmental organizations and civilians, academics, and the
media to participate in its diplomatic affairs. It is widely
speculated that Hillary Clinton's speech will not only lay-out the
U.S. government's strategy on Internet freedom, but also release to
the outside world the latest Internet technology. Hu Yong believes
that if this is true, then the 'Google incident is only the
beginning of a rolling snowball,' which could lead to a game between
China and the U.S., and greatly impact the trends in Internet
development. During the afternoon of January 21, Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters that if Google and other
foreign enterprises operating in China have problems, they should be
resolved according to the Chinese law, and that the Chinese
government is willing to help them solve their problems. The
'Google incident' should not be linked to the two governments and/
or their bilateral relations. He also said that when involving
national security, and some no-good content, Internet supervision is
normal. In this aspect, different views can be resolved through
legal means."
c. "Internet has become a new battlefield between China and the
U.S."
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(01/21)(pg 4): "In
the U.S., after the Cold War, various political groups lobbied the
U.S. legislative institutes to provide more support to 'penetrating
the blocked Internet.' Lately, the U.S. government has had a more
ambitious strategic plan: to construct a network environment, which
is beneficial for the U.S., by controlling information flow. Thus
the U.S. State Department is collaborating with Google, Twitter and
other IT giants to jointly launch software that 'will enable
everyone to use the Internet freely,' using a kind of 'U.S.
government provided anti-blocking software,' in an attempt to spread
ideology and values in line with the United States' demands.
Regarding her unusual enthusiasm before and after the Google
incident, it is still unclear how much influence Secretary Clinton
has personally brought to this plan. When a country thinks that
certain parts of the Internet poses a threat, it is supposed to take
action to restrict this content. This is the bottom line. However,
the U.S. government's current behaviors are challenging this bottom
line. The U.S.-China divergences in their bilateral relations
concerning information security, human rights and ideology have once
again bubbled to the surface. The Google incident underscores the
importance of incorporating information security into China's
overall national security strategy. The emergence of information
technology has posed a great challenge to the traditional concept of
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national sovereignty, as well as one's ability to safeguard
sovereignty. Countries that have information technology advantages
put great pressure on China."
2. U.S.-JAPAN RELATIONS
"The United States and Japan are playing the 'China card'"
The China Radio International sponsored newspaper World News Journal
(Shijie Xinwenbao)(01/22)(pg 2): "At present, the U.S. feels itself
incapable in many areas: it needs a new ally as well as new partners
like China. The U.S. intends to use its China card to force Japan
to come closer to the U.S., daring not to drift away from the U.S.
At the same time, it also provokes Sino-Japan relations to increase
its negotiation chips with Japan. Japan is also using the China
card to pressure the U.S. Nowadays Japan often emphasizes that the
relationship between the U.S., Japan and China should be
equilateral. Wang Yusheng, the Executive Director of China
Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, said both the
United States and Japan are trying to play the 'China card,' as
China affects the new U.S.- Japan relationship. However, because
China upholds the principle of peaceful development and seeks equal
partnerships, the United States and Japan are not able to play this
card, not to mention to play it well."
HUNTSMAN