VZCZCXRO8440
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #7262/01 3330406
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 290406Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3682
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1909

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 007262 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2032 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PARM SENV IR KN JP IN AU CH
SUBJECT: U.S.-CHINA POLICY PLANNING TALKS: CHINESE (AND 
U.S.) FOREIGN POLICY 
 
REF: BEIJING 7253 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. 
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1. (C) China's foreign policy must contribute to domestic 
economic development and be non-ideological and based on 
interests, not values, China's top policy planning diplomat 
told visiting U.S. Policy Planning Director David Gordon. 
U.S.-China relations have transcended the purely bilateral 
and are now strategic and global in nature, and we should 
cooperate on key issues where we share common interests, such 
as climate change, energy security and denuclearization of 
the Korean peninsula.  The Chinese acknowledged that "we have 
a lot of work to do" on Iran.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) U.S. Policy Planning Director David Gordon and James 
Green of the Policy Planning Staff visited Beijing November 
12-15 for Policy Planning talks with Chinese MFA Director 
General for Policy Planning Ma Zhaoxu.  On the Chinese side, 
Counselor Tang Guocai, Division Director Zhou Jian and First 
Secretary Yin Chengwu (of the North American and Oceanian 
 
SIPDIS 
Affairs Department's Fourth Division) also participated. 
 
Chinese Views of PRC Foreign Policy 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) DG Ma opened the talks with a review of Chinese 
foreign policy.  China's current foreign policy, he said, is 
based on six key points, all of which are "grounded" in the 
Political Report of the 17th Communist Party Congress (held 
in October 2007).  These six points, which represent 
President Hu Jintao's "major signals" to the world, are: 
 
First:  China is pursuing a "socialist road."  Socialism with 
Chinese characteristics will be the "core value" of China's 
future development.  China will develop its "socialist market 
economy" as well as its socialist democracy, socialist 
culture and "harmonious society."  China's goal is to be 
"prosperous, strong, culturally advanced and socialist." 
This should not be confused with Soviet Union-style 
socialism, DG Ma cautioned:  China's "socialist road" 
incorporates "the world's experiences of development, 
including the example of the United States." 
 
Second:  The Chinese concept of socialism, and its foreign 
policy, is actually "higher and more comprehensive" than 
traditional Soviet socialism because it incorporates the idea 
of "scientific development."  Scientific development includes 
the economy, the social life of the people, environmental 
sustainability and energy security. 
 
Third:  China's foreign policy is fundamentally related to 
its domestic policy of building a "harmonious society."  This 
harmonious society will include material wealth and the 
constant improvement of living conditions, but will also 
guarantee social equality and justice.  Rule of law, 
democracy, honesty and integrity of government, and "vigor 
and vitality" of society are all key components of harmonious 
society, DG Ma said. 
 
Fourth:  Upholding a peaceful international environment to 
allow China to develop is at the core of China's foreign 
policy.  "At a certain time" in the future, China will be 
able to contribute more to international peace and stability, 
DG Ma said, but for now China's top priority is its own 
peaceful development.  "This answers the international 
community's question as to what kind of road China will 
travel as an emerging power," he said. 
 
Fifth:  China's vision for the international community can be 
expressed as "harmonious world," and this is how China 
intends to be a "responsible country."  Politically, 
countries should respect each other; economically, they 
should cooperate; culturally, they should learn from each 
other; on security, they should trust each other and use 
peaceful means to resolve diplomatic problems; and on the 
environment, they should help each other to address 
challenges and "take good care of the Earth." 
 
Sixth:  China's foreign policy is "win-win."  This is a 
strategy of opening up China to the world and continuing to 
contribute to regional and global development through China's 
 
BEIJING 00007262  002 OF 003 
 
 
own development.  Under China's "win-win" foreign policy, 
China will accommodate the legitimate concerns of other 
countries, will never seek to benefit at the expense of 
another country, and will not shift its rightful burdens onto 
another country. 
 
¶4. (C) Under the guidelines of the six concepts of Chinese 
foreign policy, the basis of Sino-U.S. relations is becoming 
clear, DG Ma said.  China will continue to strengthen 
strategic dialogue, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation, 
deal with difficulties and push for stable, long-term 
relations.  The United States is one of China's most 
important relationships, he added.  All of the six concepts 
could be brought to bear in the Sino-U.S. relationship, but 
"harmonious world" offers the broadest opportunities to seek 
common ground and recognize mutual interests.  Cooperation on 
trade and investment, energy and climate change look like 
especially fruitful areas to explore, he said.  Sino-U.S. 
relations have "transcended" the merely bilateral and have 
become strategic and global; "to some extent, all of our 
cooperation has a strategic nature," he said, because U.S. 
and Chinese concerns have become so similar. 
 
HOTSPOTS: IRAN, DPRK, MIDDLE EAST, CLIMATE CHANGE 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶5. (C) China's foreign policy can be distilled down to three 
key words, DG Ma said:  peace, cooperation and development. 
The fundamental goal of China's foreign policy is to build 
the foundation for China's domestic economic development. 
With that in mind, China is particularly interested in how to 
address "hotspot" issues, such as Iran, the DPRK, the Middle 
East and climate change. 
 
¶6. (C) Looking at geographic hot spots, it is a "mixed 
picture," DG Ma said.  Big-power cooperation on the DPRK 
issue is strengthening, and China sees that situation as 
positive.  Iran is less positive.  "We still have more things 
to do" on Iran, and there are currently different tracks to 
achieve those goals.  "On some of these tracks we are 
optimistic, on some we are not so optimistic," he said.  In 
all, China "takes note" of the increasing expenditure of U.S. 
energy and resources in the Middle East, particularly Iran 
and the Israel-Palestine issue, and sees that expenditure as 
well as the "increasing willingness of the United States to 
pursue multilateral solutions" as the most important 
international developments of late. 
 
¶7. (C) Climate change is the "hot issue" on the international 
agenda, along with the related issue of competition for 
energy resources.  The key new variable in these issues is 
that all sides must note and acknowledge the emergence of new 
powers, such as China.  This emergence, against a background 
of globalization, is causing an adjustment of the 
international system.  There are already manifestations of 
this, such as the "G-8 plus 5" grouping to address climate 
change and the "flourishing" of multilateral institutions and 
cooperation.  The United States and China have "so much 
common ground" on climate change and should consult more 
closely.  In particular, the United States and China should 
work together on identifying common but differentiated 
responsibilities, as well as a post-Kyoto way forward. 
 
¶8. (C) Director Gordon noted that it is essential to build an 
international coalition to pressure Iran and prevent it from 
becoming a nuclear weapons state.  Current international 
cooperation is a good start, but we are not yet on a 
trajectory toward achieving this goal.  An Iranian nuclear 
capability would be an extraordinary threat to peace and 
development and would represent a huge threat of 
proliferation within the region and into Asia.  China's role 
in preventing this is essential. 
 
¶9. (C) Director Gordon agreed that the Six-Party Talks 
framework for addressing the Korean nuclear issue has been 
important and has enabled progress on denuclearization. 
However, for now it is important, in the words of former 
President Ronald Reagan, to "trust but verify." 
 
Values vs. Interests 
-------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) DG Ma reiterated that the emergence of new powers, 
including Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Mexico and 
China, is among the most important new developments in 
international relations.  North-South cooperation and 
 
BEIJING 00007262  003 OF 003 
 
 
dialogue, such as the G-8 plus 5, is good and important. 
However, some in the West have suggested the creation of 
"values-based" groupings, such as the "Quad" made up of the 
United States, India, Australia and Japan.  Values-based 
groupings represent a Cold War mentality, DG Ma said. 
Throughout history, relationships based on shared interests 
have been "more reliable" than relationships based on shared 
values.  In addition, DG Ma said, all countries share the 
same core values through their membership in the UN.  Drawing 
distinctions between countries based on ideology is 
dangerous, because it "creates splits."  China no longer 
makes foreign policy decisions based on ideology, ever since 
Deng Xiaoping's "great foreign policy shift" in which he 
stated that China would not create foreign 
alliances based on ideology alone. 
 
¶11. (C) Director Gordon noted that U.S. foreign policy always 
integrates values and interests to some degree, and values 
today are relevant.  Organizations in the United States that 
seek to influence politics are usually values-based, and as a 
result, values will remain a part of U.S. policy.  China 
should not forget that the participation in politics of 
values-based organizations and the influence of values on 
U.S. foreign policy are among the strengths of U.S. society, 
Director Gordon said.  The United States has no desire to 
recreate sharp ideological divisions in Asia and does not 
want countries to feel that they must choose between the 
United States and China.  The United States will not support 
any mechanism that would lead to that kind of division.  We 
share a similar political system with the ROK, Japan, 
Australia and India that is significantly different from 
China's.  This shared political orientation provides a basis 
for discussion among these countries. 
 
¶12. (C) The importance of values as a component of foreign 
policy is an issue China will have to address as it plays a 
larger role in the world, Director Gordon continued.  China's 
current policy of maintaining a purely interests-based 
foreign policy while claiming to be a responsible power 
worldwide (reftel) may not be consistent.  Burma's regime is 
a major violator of human rights; reacting to this crisis 
involves values rather than interests.  Zimbabwe is a similar 
case; ts regime has brutalized and destroyed the livelihoods 
of its people.  How can these issues be addressed in the 
narrow frame of sovereignty?  "The way out of this dilemma is 
to forge an international system where every country can play 
its own constructive role," DG Ma answered.  "Then we will 
have our harmonious world." 
 
¶13. (U) S/P staff cleared this message. 
RANDT