VZCZCXRO9188
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #3305/01 2392253
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 262253Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9551
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI 0108

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 003305 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KOLY CH RS NP
SUBJECT: AUGUST 26 MFA PRESS BRIEFING: Olympics, Russia-Georgia 
Conflict, Tibet, Hu Jintao's Visit to Korea, SCO Summit, U.S.-India 
Nuclear Agreement, Human Rights, Six-Party Talks, Japan, Singapore. 
 
¶1. Key points at the August 26 MFA Press Briefing: 
 
-- On Russia-Georgia, China "hopes that relevant countries can work 
through dialogue to find solution to the issue." 
 
-- China rejects the Dalai Lama's recent claims that Chinese 
security forces fired on ethnic Tibetans in Western Sichuan. 
 
-- China will continue to follow domestic laws, international laws, 
and humanitarian principles in its handling of illegal 
border-crossers from North Korea. 
 
-- The main mandate of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 
summit meeting in Dushanbe is to "consolidate mutual trust, 
strengthen solidarity, deepen cooperation, and promote development 
between member states." 
 
-- China believes that, "all countries, while fulfilling their 
obligation to international nuclear nonproliferation, have a right 
to peaceful use of nuclear energy and to carrying out international 
cooperation." 
 
-- China expresses "dissatisfaction" toward a White House official's 
statement that China needs to improve its human rights record and 
that China didn't handle the issue of protests well during the 
Olympic period. 
 
-- China will continue to adopt an "open attitude" to achieve the 
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 
 
-- China hopes that Japan will honor its commitments to destroy 
chemical weapons left in China by Japan. 
 
-- VISITS:  At the invitation of Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, Singapore 
Vice Prime Minister Wang will visit September 2-6, to take part in 
China-Singapore bilateral cooperation meetings. 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
Russia and Georgia 
------------------ 
 
¶2. China "has taken note of the latest developments" regarding 
Russian recognition of the breakaway regions of Georgia, and China 
"hopes that relevant countries can work through dialogue to find 
solution to the issue," MFA Spokesman Qin Gang said at the regular 
bi-weekly MFA press conference August 26. 
 
Dalai Lama 
---------- 
 
¶3. China rejects the Dalai Lama's recent claims that Chinese 
security forces fired on ethnic Tibetans in Western Sichuan. "There 
are always contradictions between the Dalai Lama's words and 
actions," the spokesman stated.  Qin suggested that the Dalai Lama 
has no evidence to support the allegations of a shooting incident. 
China's position on the Dalai Lama and other Tibet-related issues is 
consistent, Qin stressed, and "It is imperative for Dalai's side to 
take concrete actions to create favorable conditions for further 
talks and contacts" between the Chinese Government and 
representatives of the Dalai Lama. 
 
DPRK Refugees 
------------- 
 
¶4. Responding to a question concerning Hu Jintao's position should 
the issue of illegal North Korean border crossings be raised in Hu's 
visit to South Korea, Qin stated that China will continue to follow 
"domestic laws, international laws, and humanitarian principles" in 
its handling of such cases. 
 
SCO Summit 
---------- 
 
¶5. Asked about this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 
summit meeting in Dushanbe, Qin said that the mandate of the meeting 
in Dushanbe is to "consolidate mutual trust, strengthen solidarity, 
deepen cooperation, and promote development between member states." 
The heads of state in attendance will exchange views on the 
development of the SCO as well as major international and regional 
issues. The heads of state will also "chart the courses for the next 
phase of work in security, economy, and people-to-people exchanges 
and cooperation." They will sign and release a joint communiqu and 
will approve a series of documents relating to security and 
exchanges.  Qin expressed his belief that the summit will "further 
promote development of the SCO, make contributions to safeguarding 
regional security and stability and promote common development of 
member states." 
 
 
BEIJING 00003305  002 OF 002 
 
 
India Nuclear Cooperation 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. On the issue of the U.S.-India nuclear deal, Qin said that China 
believes "All countries, while fulfilling their obligation to 
international nuclear nonproliferation, have a right to peaceful use 
of nuclear energy and to carrying out international cooperation." 
Such cooperation "should be conducive to safeguarding completeness 
and effectiveness of the international nonproliferation regime." 
 
White House Comments on Human Rights 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
¶7. Responding to a request for China's comment on a White House 
official's statement that China needs to improve its human rights 
record and handling of protest issues, Qin noted China's 
"dissatisfaction" toward the official's criticism. Qin stressed that 
foreigners engaged in Tibetan separatists activities during the 
Olympics violated Chinese laws, and "relevant authorities" will 
therefore handle such cases according to law.  The United States, 
said Qin, should "tell its citizens to abide by the laws of other 
countries when they go to other countries, in order to avoid 
recurrence of such incidents." 
 
¶8.  Qin asked rhetorically whether the White House official in 
question "had any U.S. dollars in his pockets when he made such 
remarks."  Lincoln's image, Qin noted, appears on U.S. currency. 
The White House official should recall Lincoln's first inaugural 
address in order to understand "the resolve of the Chinese 
government and its people to safeguard national sovereignty, 
unification and territorial integrity," and he should avoid adopting 
a double standard on this issue. 
 
DPRK and the Six-Party Talks 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. Asked for China's reaction to North Korea's announcement that it 
is suspending disablement of its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, and 
whether China had been informed of North Korea's plan, Qin reminded 
the audience that "positive progress" was recently made in the 
Talks.  The Six-Party Talks, he said, are a "very complicated 
process involving concerns of all parties so, difficulties are 
inevitable." China hopes that "open communications with other 
parties could help to overcoe some difficulties and complicating 
elementsso that we could implement remaining actions of the second 
phase."  China will continue to adopt an "open attitude" to achieve 
the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 
 
Japanese Chemical Weapons 
------------------------- 
 
¶10. Asked about the Chinese position on the upcoming decision by a 
Tokyo court concerning the lawsuit filed by two Chinese teenagers in 
Jilin injured in 2004 by chemical weapons remaining from the 20th 
century Japanese invasion, Qin called the issue of leftover weapons 
from the Japanese invasion "one of the great crimes committed by 
Japanese militarism," and said that these weapons were "still 
causing great loss, damage and menace to local peoples' lives and 
property." China, stated Qin, hopes that Japan will honor its 
commitments to destroy chemical weapons left in China by Japan, and 
China hopes that Japan can "adopt a responsible attitude to properly 
handle this issue." 
 
Visit: Singapore Vice Prime Minister Wang 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. VISITS:  At the invitation of Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, 
Singapore Vice Prime Minister Wang will visit September 2-6, to take 
part in China-Singapore bilateral cooperation meetings. 
RANDT