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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 003340 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ELAB KOLY OVIP CH
SUBJECT: U.S. Presidential Delegation August 23, 2008 Meeting with 
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao 
 
(U) This cable is Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) August 23, 2008; 1045; Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound, 
Beijing, China. 
 
¶2. (U) Participants: 
 
United States 
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao 
Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt 
Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr. 
Ms. Karen Hughes 
Ms. Michelle Kwan 
Associate Deputy Secretary of Labor Anna Hui 
HHS Special Advisor Allyson Bell 
Dr. James Chao 
Mr. Brian Langley, DOS Protocol 
Mr. Michael Crain, U.S. Embassy Beijing 
Eric Barboriak (Embassy notetaker) 
Jim Brown, interpreter 
 
PRC 
Premier Wen Jiabao 
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi 
Commerce Minister Chen Deming 
Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui 
PRC Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong 
Director General Zheng Zeguang, MFA North American and Oceanian 
Affairs Department 
Deputy Director General Deng Hongbo, MFA North American and Oceanian 
Affairs Department 
Deputy Director General Yang Guangyu, MFA Protocol Department 
Deputy Director General Qin Gang, MFA Information Department 
MFA notetakers 
Zhang Yu, interpreter 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Premier Wen stated that the participation of President Bush 
and his family in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics and the U.S. 
Presidential Delegation's participation in the Closing Ceremony 
reflect the great friendship between the United States and China. 
Secretary Chao offered sympathies for the victims of the May 12 
earthquake in Sichuan and praise for China's efforts in hosting the 
Olympics.  Premier Wen stated that U.S.-China relations are in a 
good state due to the policies of the Bush Administration and that 
positive bilateral relations promote peace and stability 
internationally.  China is committed to peaceful development 
domestically, continuing on the path of reform and opening and 
pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, he said.  Premier Wen expressed 
hope to see more bilateral cooperation in labor and health issues. 
Secretary Leavitt stated that bilateral cooperation on food and 
product safety over the last year has yielded positive results, 
including the planned October opening of three FDA branch offices in 
China.  End Summary. 
 
¶4. (SBU) In his welcoming remarks, Premier Wen stated that President 
Bush's attendance with his family at the Olympics Opening Ceremony 
and the attendance by this U.S. Presidential Delegation to the 
Olympics Closing Ceremony not only demonstrate U.S. support for 
China's efforts in hosting the Olympic Games but also reflect the 
great friendship between the two nations.  Premier Wen noted the 
great U.S. athletic achievement in the Olympic Games as reflected in 
the U.S. lead in total medal count. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Secretary Chao expressed thanks for the opportunity to meet 
with Premier Wen and passed along warm greetings from President 
Bush.  She passed along the regrets of Secretary Rice, who was 
unable to attend the Closing Ceremony due to the crisis in Georgia. 
Secretary Chao offered sympathies on behalf of the delegation for 
the victims of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province and praised 
the Premier for his great efforts in comforting the Chinese people 
during that time of tragedy.  Secretary Chao also said she 
appreciated Chinese Government efforts to assist the Bachman family 
in the aftermath of the assault/murder in Beijing on August 9. 
Premier Wen expressed thanks for the sympathy, condolences and 
assistance from the United States in the wake of the Sichuan 
earthquake, and he wished Mrs. Bachman an early recovery from her 
injuries. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Secretary Chao congratulated the Chinese people on hosting 
a spectacular Olympic Games, noting that people around the world are 
impressed with China's great efforts in organizing the Olympics. 
She thanked the Premier for his generous comments on the 
achievements of the U.S. Olympic team, saying she would pass this on 
to the athletes.  Expressing praise for Chinese athletes, she noted 
 
BEIJING 00003340  002 OF 003 
 
 
the Chinese Olympic team's lead in the gold medal count.  Secretary 
Chao said the spectacular Opening Ceremony, with its rich symbolism 
and reference to Chinese history, gave Americans a greater 
appreciation of China and its history.  She also made special note 
of Lin Hao, the nine-year-old student who helped save his classmates 
during the Sichuan earthquake, who accompanied China's Olympic Team 
flag bearer Yao Ming during the Opening Ceremony procession.  Noting 
Chinese officials present at the meeting, Secretary Chao 
complimented Foreign Minister Yang for his great understanding of 
the United States and noted the good cooperative relationship with 
Commerce Minister Chen in the Senior Economic Dialogue.  She 
expressed appreciation for Ambassador Zhou's great efforts to visit 
all parts of the United States in order to gain a greater 
understanding of American society.  Secretary Chao reported she had 
a constructive meeting August 22 with PRC Minister of Human 
Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin, in which the two discussed 
the initiative to transform China into an "Innovation Society." 
 
¶7. (SBU) Secretary Leavitt recalled the Closing Ceremony of 2002 
Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which took place during his 
tenure as Utah Governor.  During the event, he discreetly mingled 
with other attendees, one of whom spontaneously chanted "Utah, Utah, 
Utah!" as an expression of the great effort and success the people 
of Utah felt in hosting the Olympics.  Secretary Leavitt said that 
the Chinese people should feel similarly proud of their achievement 
in hosting this Olympics. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Ms. Hughes stated that the Olympics will help Americans see 
China in a new way and will improve bilateral relations.  Ms. Hughes 
noted the great personal connection Premier Wen established with the 
Chinese people in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Ms. Kwan stated that the Olympics were well-organized and 
noted that U.S. athletes with whom she spoke had positive 
impressions of the Olympic Games and China. 
 
U.S.-China relations 
-------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) Premier Wen stated that U.S.-China relations are in a 
historically good state, and much of the positive momentum in 
bilateral relations is due to the Bush Administration's policies 
over the last seven years.  The frequency of high-level exchanges 
has rarely been so high over the history of bilateral relations, 
Premier Wen noted, adding that President Bush's attendance at the 
Opening Ceremony in Beijing, the first time a U.S. President has 
attended an Opening Ceremony otside the United States, further 
reflects the importance of developing bilateral relations. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Premier Wen acknowledged that the U.S.-China bilateral 
relationship has had its share of "twists and turns."  Quoting a 
Chinese poem, Premier Wen said, "one must get to the top to have a 
bird's view."  From such an overall perspective, he said, one can 
observe that the development of good relations between the "world's 
strongest developed country and the world's largest developing 
country" is "conducive to the peace and stability of the whole 
world."  Premier Wen said that difficulties in the bilateral 
relationship are "small hills" that can easily be surmounted.  He 
expressed confidence that good momentum in bilateral relations will 
be maintained with whoever serves as the next President of the 
United States. (Note:  The August 23 Xinhua report of the meeting 
states that Wen also called on the two sides to "properly handle 
differences and sensitive issues."  This statement was not included 
in Wen's actual comments that we noted during the meeting.) 
 
"The Three Commitments" 
----------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Premier Wen outlined three "commitments" that will 
characterize China's development in the future.  The first is that 
China is committed to the path of peaceful development.  Premier Wen 
noted that though China has achieved a successful Olympic Games, not 
all of China has achieved positive success in terms of development, 
adding, "national leaders must be aware of this."  Premier Wen 
pointed out that China will need "decades" of hard work by 
Government officials and "generations" of Chinese to pass before 
China will reach even a "moderate prosperity level" throughout the 
country.  He recalled a conversation with a famous Chinese poet who 
said that identifying problems in governance during times of chaos 
is easier than identifying problems during times of peace.  Premier 
Wen said Chinese leaders must remain vigilant for the hidden 
challenges that can suddenly arise in what appear to be peaceful and 
affluent times. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The second "commitment" is to continue the 30 years of 
China's reform and opening policy.  Premier Wen stated that China's 
achievements can be attributed to this reform and opening policy, 
and China cannot stop or step back on this path.  "We do not think 
 
BEIJING 00003340  003 OF 003 
 
 
China is free of problems," Premier Wen said, "but we rely on the 
reform and opening policy to solve them." 
 
¶14. (SBU) The third "commitment" is to pursue a peaceful foreign 
policy.  As China remains primarily focused on national development, 
its foreign policy will be independent and peaceful, Premier Wen 
said, adding "we will respect other countries and respect 
ourselves."  Premier Wen stated that all countries should treat each 
other on the basis of equality, seeking mutual benefit and 
accommodating each other's interests and concerns.  Saying that 
"China is not yet modernized," Premier Wen stated that "even when 
China is modernized, it will not seek to influence (dominate) other 
countries nor seek hegemony." 
 
Bilateral Cooperation in Labor and Health Issues 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶15. (SBU) Premier Wen expressed hope that U.S.-China relations will 
not only be strengthened in political, economic and cultural 
aspects, but in the areas of labor and health as well.  He noted 
that the upcoming U.S. Labor Day holiday reflects U.S. appreciation 
of its workforce and the importance of social security issues. 
China, he said, only ten years ago initiated a social security 
program and "can learn from the United States" on how to address the 
challenges of providing benefits to China's large population with 
limited funding and program management experience.  Premier Wen 
noted that China will soon roll out a health and drug control and 
administration plan. (Note:  The August 23 Xinhua report of the 
meeting states that Wen also said "inspection and quarantine" are 
important aspects of bilateral ties.  This statement was not 
included in Wen's actual comments that we noted during the 
meeting.) 
 
¶16. (SBU) Premier Wen said that many ordinary Chinese citizens 
complain about inability to access and afford medical care, which he 
interprets as an implicit criticism of Chinese Government efforts 
and an expression of hope for improvement.  Premier Wen said he 
hopes the introduction of reforms in the medical sector will enable 
China to provide medical care for children and those living in 
poverty. 
 
New FDA Offices in China 
------------------------ 
 
¶17. (SBU) Secretary Leavitt said that bilateral cooperation on food 
and product safety over the past year has yielded positive results, 
noting that China has taken an "aggressive approach" to addressing 
existing problems.  Secretary Leavitt reported that in October the 
United States will establish three Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA) branch offices in China.  Such a development is a reflection 
of the close working relations between the United States and China 
on food and product safety issues. 
 
Compassionate leader 
-------------------- 
 
¶18. (SBU) Premier Wen said that perhaps many Westerners still do not 
know him that well and saddle him with the stereotype of a "rigid 
Communist."  On the contrary, he said, his previous experience has 
instilled in him a compassion for the people.  "Compassion is the 
fundamental basis of all moral virtues," Premier Wen stated, "and on 
this point, I will not be dwarfed by Western leaders."  The 
assessment of his performance in carrying out his duties, he added, 
"is up to the people to make." 
 
¶19. (U) The delegation cleared on this cable. 
RANDT