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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1368

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 011811 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, EAP/CM, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP AND H 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM CASC ENRG UNAUS CH JP
SUBJECT: HIRC STAFFDEL HALPIN'S CHINA VISIT 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 11385 
     ¶B. BEIJING 11075 
     ¶C. BEIJING 10893 
     ¶D. BEIJING 10749 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Reftels reported that House International Relations 
Committee (HIRC) STAFFDEL Halpin, consisting of Dennis Halpin 
and Hans Hogrefe, cut short its visit to Xinjiang after 
members of the family of Rebiya Kadeer were detained.  As 
noted reftels, the STAFFDEL and the Embassy repeatedly urged 
Chinese officials to release the family members immediately. 
This message reports on other aspects of the STAFFDEL's May 
24-June 5 China program.  In Beijing, the Staffdel discussed 
issues including American citizen cases, human rights, North 
Korean refugees, China-Japan relations, China's energy needs 
and Congressional exchanges.  During the STAFFDEL'S shortened 
visit to Urumqi, Xinjiang, the delegation met with local 
officials and visited mosques, the Islamic Institute, a 
publishing house, and a middle school.  End Summary. 
 
Embassy Meetings on American Citizen Cases 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In a meeting with the DCM and Halpin, Helen Kim, 
wife of detained Amcit Steven Kim, thanked the Embassy for 
its assistance in facilitating her husband's transfer to a 
prison in Beijing.  Kim lamented that her husband continues 
to serve a five-year sentence after his September 2003 
detention, while Japanese and South Koreans detained for 
similar offenses have already been released.  She noted that 
Mr. Kim suffers serious health problems, including heart 
disease and hypertension, and requested Embassy support for 
efforts to win his early release on medical parole or 
humanitarian grounds.  The DCM assured Mrs. Kim that the 
Embassy would continue to make every effort to assist Mr. 
Kim. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Separately, Halpin met with Consul General and ACS 
Chief to raise concern about other Americans jailed in China 
for assisting North Koreans to flee the DPRK, including 
Korean-American Reverend Philip Jun Buck.  Halpin also urged 
greater State Department attention to the vulnerabilities of 
Americans who contract to teach English in China, such as 
John Shaff in Shenyang and Darren Russell in Guangzhou.  He 
conveyed a copy of a report he prepared on the Russell death 
case to emboffs. Finally, Halpin raised the case of U.S. 
businessman David Ji, suggesting that Ji is being held 
"hostage" without charges and unable to leave China so that a 
Chinese company can gain leverage in an unresolved business 
dispute. 
 
MFA Meetings on North Korea, Human Rights 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Halpin, after reviewing general trends in 
U.S.-China relations with MFA Director General for North 
American Affairs Liu Jieyi, said there is strong support in 
the United States for those who help North Koreans in China, 
specifically raising the cases of Rev. Kim Dong-Shik, Steven 
Kim and Philip Buck.  Liu said those who break Chinese laws 
are "criminals."  Halpin objected strongly, comparing those 
helping North Koreans in China to those in American history 
who ran the underground railroad to help escaping slaves. 
Hogrefe emphasized USG support for the rights of members of 
minority groups, including Uighurs, and urged China not to 
demonize Uighur exile Rebiya Kadeer.  Liu called Kadeer a 
"criminal" and stated that no one is more concerned about the 
people of Xinjiang than the Chinese Government. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In discussions on UN issues, MFA DDG for 
International Organizations Shen Yongxiong said Beijing 
believes it is time for an Asian UNSYG but has not settled on 
a specific candidate.  Shen emphasized China's efforts to 
improve human rights, including those of ethnic minorities. 
Foreigners are misled by exiles who advocate separatism in 
Tibet and Xinjiang, he said in response to Hogrefe's 
expressions of concern. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Halpin raised a number of human rights cases with 
both DG Liu and DDG Shen, including American Legal Permanent 
Resident Yang Jianli, Internet writer Shi Tao and American 
citizen David Ji.  He urged that China issue visas to 
American scholars who contributed to the book "Xinjiang: 
China's Muslim Borderland."  Hogrefe urged DDG Shen to look 
into cases of detained Uighur writers and scholars Kurash 
 
BEIJING 00011811  002 OF 003 
 
 
Huseyin, Abdulghani Memetin and Tohti Tunyaz. 
 
UNHCR: North Koreans in China 
----------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional 
Representative for China and Mongolia Michel Gabaudan told 
Halpin that the Chinese Government's approach toward the 
handful of North Korean cases his office has dealt with is 
improving, although the PRC continues to reject calling these 
individuals refugees.  Because of China's concern about 
becoming a magnet for North Korean asylum seekers, it is more 
willing to cooperate with UNHCR when such cases are handled 
quietly, Gabaudan said.  In response to Halpin's expressed 
interest in seeing North Koreans in China resettled in the 
United States, Gabaudan emphasized that UNHCR's primary 
concern is seeing that North Koreans in China receive 
"immediate protection."  Currently, South Korea provides an 
effective mechanism for resettling North Koreans from China, 
he noted, although UNHCR will also take advantage of the 
United States' offer in certain circumstances. 
 
CASS Scholar on China-Japan Relations 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) CASS Institute of Japanese Studies Professor Jin 
Xide told the STAFFDEL a lack of common national interests 
and a generational change in leadership are the primary 
causes for the current tense China-Japan relationship.  PM 
Koizumi is part of a post-WWII generation that does not know 
history and cannot accept criticism of Japan.  China feels PM 
Koizumi needs to stop visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, to deal 
with Beijing's concerns about history and to show it has no 
intention to contain China and dominate the region.  An 
August 15 visit by PM Koizumi to Yasukuni would have a large 
negative impact on bilateral relations, with Chinese people 
reacting strongly, if not taking to the streets.  April 2005 
anti-Japanese riots in China were led by the "rich middle 
class," Jin claimed, as opposed to previous anti-Japan 
uprisings that were started by university students with 
support from the government and academics.  China's leaders 
cannot afford to oppose such popular movements, nor can 
Chinese scholars, he said, noting that he has been careful 
not to publicly support Japan after PM Koizumi's Yasukuni 
visits, lest it "interfere with his career." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The PRC does not have a firm position on Japan's 
bid for a permanent UNSC seat, Jin said.   Halpin expressed 
some skepticism, noting that China lobbied hard in Africa and 
Asia to scuttle Japan's efforts.  No country in Asia respects 
Japan, Jin claimed, adding that Tokyo looks down on less 
developed Asian countries.  Japan's aggressiveness, as 
illustrated by its expanding military, the Yasukuni visits 
and Japan's bid for a permanent UNSC seat, put China in a 
defensive and reactive position.  Nonetheless, Jin believes 
Sino-Japanese economic relations, trade and investment will 
continue to grow and that the political situation will 
gradually improve.  Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and FM 
Taro Aso have toned down their positions, he claimed.  This 
could reflect factors including U.S. pressure, the election 
of Ichiro Ozawa as opposition party president and the rise in 
the polls of moderate former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo 
Fukuda, who enjoys good relations with China.  The East China 
Sea remains the most dangerous issue and the governments are 
working to prevent an "unexpected EP3-like incident." 
 
NPC Official on Burma 
--------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) During a dinner with Vice Chairman of the NPC 
Foreign Affairs Committee Lu Congmin, Hogrefe cited the 
importance of progress on human rights issues for the future 
development of U.S.-China relations.  Human rights issues are 
important, Lu agreed, but should not be the only issue. 
Hogrefe asked Lu about Chinese policy toward Burma and what 
stand China would likely take if a UNSC resolution was 
proposed regarding the political situation there.  China is 
concerned about the difficult situation in Burma, Lu said, 
and wishes Burma would resolve its internal difficulties on 
its own.  When pressed, Lu said China would oppose sanctions 
against Burma and said he believes that international 
pressure on Burma would not work and would likely be 
counterproductive. 
 
NDRC: Don,t Blame Us for Higher Oil Prices 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Wu Guihui, Deputy Director General (DDG) of the 
 
BEIJING 00011811  003 OF 003 
 
 
NDRC,s Energy Bureau, disagreed with Halpin's assertion that 
rising demand from developing countries is driving oil priceshigher.  Price increases are largely a result of political 
factors, most ntably the war in Iraq and the ongoing Iranian 
nuclear crisis.  DDG Wu stated that China,s oil imports fell 
in 2005 and that China meets some 93 percent of its energy 
needs through domestic resources.  China,s strategy to meet 
its growing energy demands is to focus on increasing domestic 
energy production.  Domestic oil production in China,s 
Daqing oil fields increased in 2005, Wu stated. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) Hogrefe voiced concerns about China,s search for 
oil in areas of international political concern, such as 
Sudan and Iran.  DDG Wu said that China,s effort to secure 
international energy resources is unrelated to attempts by 
the international community to resolve specific political 
crises.  China,s national oil companies are publicly traded 
and thereby make their decisions for business reasons without 
seeking the Chinese Government,s permission.  Western oil 
companies, monopoly over large, proven energy reserves has 
led Chinese national oil companies to seek resources in 
politically risky areas.  The U.S. Government should support 
China's efforts to encourage more cooperation between U.S. 
and Chinese energy companies to mitigate the Chinese 
companies' need to do business in politically sensitive 
areas, Wu stated. 
 
Xinjiang: "Economy, Religion and Ethnic Harmony" 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶13. (SBU) A three-hour seminar in Urumqi on Xinjiang's 
economic and social development May 31 was overshadowed by 
news of and questions about the detention (reftels) of family 
members of Uighur businesswoman Reibya Kadeer.  Deflecting 
questions about the Kadeer family, Xinjiang Vice-Governor 
Nuerlan Abudumanjin highlighted Xinjiang's economic 
development, infrastructure improvements and harmonious 
relations among the province's multiple ethnic and religious 
groups.  More than half of the local government cadres and 
people's congress representatives are members of ethnic 
minorities and 85 percent of minorities with higher education 
are employed, he said. 
 
¶14. (SBU) In response to the delegation's questions, Nuerlan 
said that Chinese Government officials and Communist Party 
members cannot attend mosque.  Other officials added, 
however, that they can invite imams to come to their homes 
for significant events, such as the celebration of births or 
marriages.  Children should not attend mosque or formal 
religious education before they reach the age of 18 to avoid 
interference with their secular education, Nuerlan said. 
 
¶15. (SBU) Responding to individual cases raised, Ethnic and 
Religious Affairs Department Director Ah Pizi told the 
STAFFDEL that Ms. Aminan Momixi, detained in August 2006 for 
teaching the Koran to a group of children, was jailed because 
she was preaching ethnic hatred.  Momixi's classes taught 
hatred of Han Chinese and separatism, not mere religion, Ah 
said.  "Nonetheless, she was never formally jailed and is now 
at liberty after taking education classes and acknowledging 
her errors," he said.  Separately, Ah denied reports that 
Xinjiang Christian Tong Qimiao had been injured by security 
officials after attending house church worship in Xinjiang in 
¶2005.  "If that had happened, I would have known about it," 
he told poloff.  The delegation visited Urumqi's No. 16 
middle school, the Xinjiang People's Publishing House, the 
Shanxi Mosque and the Xinjiang Islamic Seminary before 
departing Xinjiang ahead of schedule to protest the Kadeer 
family detentions. 
 
¶16. (SBU) The STAFFDEL did not have the opportunity to clear 
this message. 
 
 
RANDT