Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S.-China Relations, Dalai Meeting, Iran

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RR RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHBJ #0454 0560951
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250951Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8243
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 000454

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007)
SIPDIS

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TAGS: PREL ECON SENV KGHG KMDR OPRC CH

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS, DALAI MEETING, IRAN

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Editorial Quotes
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1. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS

"Be careful about the U.S.'s transferring middle class crisis"

The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial
news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/25)(pg 14): "The
American engineer's suicidal airplane attack on the tax bureau
building shows that the American middle class are experiencing a
serious crisis. In the last 20 or 30 years, the American
middle-class, the basis of the U.S.'s political and economic system,
has undergone a process of impasse, setback and near collapse.
Meanwhile, the rescue measures of the right and left were
incompatible. The U.S. is at a historical cross-road. After one
year in office, President Obama is still faltering and having
difficulties when reforming the medical system, the financial
system, and the other sectors. What happens to the American
middle-class is at stake with in China. Someone with ulterior
motives in the United States intends to use issues like the exchange
rate, climate change, intellectual property protection, cyber
security and other topics to shift the American middle class's
sentiment into disappointment, worry, fear, and anger. China must
be vigilant of the U.S.'s attempt to shape China as an enemy so as
to ease their own [domestic] pressures."

2. DALAI MEETING

"Dalai Lama's vQit to the U.S. has little momentum and effect"

The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/25)(pg 1):
"During the Dalai's visit to the United States, he did not get the
chance to publically meet with Obama. It seems that his gains were
few: two photos together, a verbal support and a medal. Experts said
that the White House chose the Map room as the meeting room in order
to imply the meeting's informal nature. In this way, the United
States wanted to avoid further irritating China. American public
opinion suggests, and all facts show, that the Dalai has become
Obama's pawn to maintain the U.S. interest and contain China.
However, the pawn's future is not optimistic in the eyes of the
international society. Ted Carpenter said that the Dalai Lama seems
to use meetings with Western politicians to create international
pressure, especially diplomatic pressure between the United States
and China. However, the Dalai's words and deeds, in fact, will not
waiver the substance of Sino-U.S. relations. If the differences
between China and the United States can remain at a manageable
level, the relationship between the two sides may expect a
turnaround in the second half of the year."

3. IRAN

"China could act more leisurely on the Iran nuclear issue"

The People's Daily-sponsored and internationally-focused commercial
news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/25)(pg 14): "The
sensitivities and difficulty of China's stance on the Iran issue are
due to the fact that the unified stance of the U.S., UK, France and
Germany, leaves China without a clear stance for possible
opposition. In fact, there is still room for diplomatic resolution
in addition to other hard-line options of resolution from threats
about sanctions to a military strike. The recent policies of Iran
and the United States suggest that the Iran issue will follow the
development of either of these two tracks (diplomatic resolution and
hard-line resolution) alternatively. Therefore, China should be
able to make their choice on stance more leisurely, less urgently,
more independently, and less bindingly. Specifically, China should
separate the different issues and avoid closely connecting
China-Iran relations with Sino-U.S. relations. Instead choosing to
relate their general Iran policy to specific tactics on the Iran
nuclear issue; choosing to relate the Iran nuclear issue to the
policy on Iran's development of nuclear weapons. The better
Sino-Iran relations develop, a more positive role that China could
play in the region."

HUNTSMAN

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