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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 002471 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2032 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KCUL SOCI CH
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RAISES VOA BROADCASTS, INTERNET 
CENSORSHIP WITH SCIO DIRECTOR CAI WU 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d) 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) China's blocking of Voice of America radio and 
television broadcasts and censorship of United States 
Government Internet sites undermines the kinds of 
exchanges China itself wants to foster, the Ambassador 
told State Council Information Office Director Cai Wu 
on April 9.  The programs and web sites in question 
are meant to encourage positive contacts, including 
among students and business people, that would benefit 
both countries.  Cai pledged to do what he could to 
resolve the issue and to report the matter to relevant 
Government offices.  Acknowledging that China takes 
steps to filter broadcast and online content related 
to the United States, Cai added that our two countries 
should nonetheless redouble efforts to stimulate 
increased exchanges.  As for prospects for increased 
media openness, Cai said China is moving in the right 
direction, albeit at its own pace.  He also stressed 
that China faces a dual challenge with the Internet. 
On one hand, the Government wants to encourage 
citizens to get online.  On the other, authorities 
seek to "manage" the world wide web, that is, to make 
sure the content people see does not threaten social 
stability, Cai said.  End Summary. 
 
Blockages, Censorship Harm Exchanges 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C) Cai, who said he was jet-lagged following a 
lengthy trip to Latin America and the South Pacific, 
hosted the discussion at SCIO headquarters, located in 
the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The 
Ambassador led off by praising existing bilateral 
cooperation in the media realm and looking ahead to 
increased collaboration for the 2008 Summer Olympics 
in Beijing.  But China's jamming of VOA television and 
radio broadcasts runs counter to this spirit of 
cooperation, the Ambassador stressed.  Even two non- 
controversial television programs, on English-language 
education and American culture, respectively, have not 
been able to get official permission to air.  In 
addition, China occasionally blocks access on the 
Mainland to some content on United States Embassy and 
Government web sites.  There seems to be little rhyme 
or reason to the filtering, the Ambassador emphasized, 
noting that it sometimes targets information on 
education exchanges that would be useful to students. 
Our Foreign Commercial Service has reported that a 
number of American business' home pages, including one 
that sells Internet domain names, have also been 
blocked.  Such restrictions on education and business 
information contradicts China's own statements about 
bolstering exchanges between our two countries, the 
Ambassador warned. 
 
¶3.  (C) Cai responded that on these cases, he 
understands the Ambassador's points and will see what 
can be done to resolve them "according to China's laws 
and policies."  He promised to report the matter to 
other relevant Government offices.  In the broader 
scheme, Cai said he believes our two countries should 
do even more to enhance exchanges and that the 
positive direction in this regard is clear.  Some 
success is already manifest in that our two societies 
know much more about each other now than 10 or 20 
years ago, he said.  At the same time, China remains 
in a disadvantageous position compared to the United 
States when it comes to media development.  China must 
consider the effects that an influx of American media 
and culture would have on its society.  As China goes 
through the process of developing its own mass media, 
it "naturally wants to have a managed regime" whenit 
comes to imports from the United States.  "We are not 
as sophisticated as you in these matters," Cai 
alleged. 
 
¶4.  (C) In a similar vein, Cai maintained that Chinese 
media treatment of the United States has been balanced 
and objective, while coverage of China by American 
outlets has been largely negative.  The United States 
should "consider the effect of this on its own 
society," Cai remarked.  The Ambassador rejected this 
assertion, stating that unfairly negative reporting 
about the United States abounds in Chinese language 
media.  Retreating a bit, Cai added that in any case, 
information sources play an important role in shaping 
people's views. 
 
BEIJING 00002471  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
Views on Rights and Freedoms 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Turning to the larger question of increasing 
freedom and openness, Cai said China has made great 
strides over the years.  China knows there are still 
problems, "but the trend is clear: we want to improve 
things," Cai said, without mentioning specifics.  Cai 
held that Premier Wen Jiabao's February 27 article in 
the People's Daily was an important indicator of 
China's positive political direction.  China and the 
United States often have disagreements on issues 
related to human rights, democracy and freedom, he 
offered.  But Premier Wen's article, which Cai noted 
had appeared in the run-up to China's annual "two 
meetings" legislative season, stressed that China 
shares the United States' adherence to these 
principles, even if it is at a different stage in its 
development path. 
 
¶6.  (C) China is moving toward creating a society that 
enjoys freedom and democracy but is advancing at its 
own pace, Cai contended.  In this context, the best 
way to achieve productive progress is through candid 
exchanges.  One side should not believe their 
standards on rights issues are necessarily the correct 
standards.  Using language we have heard repeatedly 
when discussing human rights with the Chinese, Cai 
suggested that the two sides should engage on the 
issue on the basis of mutual respect, not via 
accusations.  He complained that the State 
Department's annual Human Rights report is "not 
helpful" in this regard. 
 
The Internet 
------------ 
 
¶7.  (C) Noting that China currently ranks second in 
the world after the United States in total number of 
netizens at about 137 million, Cai said China faces a 
dual challenge when it comes to the Internet.  China 
wants to develop the world wide web and encourage its 
use, particularly for educational and business 
purposes.  The trend is unstoppable and China is 
building the high-tech infrastructure to ensure that 
there is increasing access to the information 
superhighway.  At the same time, authorities see the 
need to "manage" the Internet to make sure 
inappropriate content does not harm society or 
stability, Cai said.  He singled out pornography and 
cybercrime as particular areas of concern.  China's 
approach to the world wide web is consistent with 
international practice, Cai claimed, adding that in 
this connection, China is researching and taking cues 
from how other countries approach management of 
Internet content through their laws.  Nonetheless, Cai 
acknowledged that there is so much information online 
and so many web sites and blogs that it would be 
"impossible to control all content." 
 
Travel to the United States 
--------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (C) Cai related that the SCIO's overall mission is 
to better explain China to the outside world.  In the 
past, foreigners, including Americans, considered 
China and the Communist Party a "strange beast."  Now, 
through issuing white papers and undertaking cultural 
exchanges, the SCIO is attempting to demystify China 
and its system.  As part of this, Cai intends to visit 
the United States in May.  He is scheduled to give a 
speech at the Los Angeles branch of the Asia Society 
and may also travel to Chicago. 
 
Bio Notes 
--------- 
 
¶9.  (C) Cai is an influential up-and-comer with 
connections to President Hu Jintao through his 
previous work at the Communist Youth League.  In 
addition, he was classmates with Wang Jisi at Beijing 
University in the early 1980s.  Wang, now dean of 
Beijing University's School of International 
Relations, is an informal advisor to President Hu 
Jintao on foreign policy issues.  Although Cai earned 
a Ph.D. in politics and law, he took pains to 
emphasize that the focus of his studies was squarely 
on foreign affairs. 
RANDT