VZCZCXRO6185
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #3169/01 3051144
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 011144Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1420
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 2993
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 3964

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 023169 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLEASE PASS AF, EAP/CM AND INR (GILLES) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2031 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AGOA ECON EAID CH
SUBJECT: PRC/AFRICA: BEIJING DECKS ITSELF OUT TO WELCOME 
AFRICAN LEADERS 
 
REF: A. BEIJING 22370 
 
     ¶B. BEIJING 22919 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Section Internal Unit Chief Chris Klein 
.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) Beijing is rolling out a dramatic welcome for 
participants in the November 3-5 Forum on China Africa 
Cooperation (FOCAC).  Bright billboards, signs and 
installations with an African flavor festoon the 
city's main street.  Authorities have beefed up 
security and will enforce special rules limiting 
vehicle traffic in the capital during the event.  The 
media has given major play to the summit, although the 
Propaganda Department has issued strict guidelines 
banning reporting on China's energy interests in 
Africa, our contacts told us.  This has left the 
editorial window open for little more than puff 
pieces.  Nonetheless, Africa has been a hot topic in 
Internet chat rooms in recent days.  End Summary. 
 
"Myth and Miracles" 
------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) Colorful signs and installations touting the 
forum have proliferated around town over the past week 
with red silk lanterns, banners, flags, billboards and 
corporate-style displays appearing along major 
thoroughfares and at hotels and shopping centers. 
Much of the signage, depicting Africa's natural beauty 
and wildlife, comes with upbeat messages about China- 
Africa ties.  One seemingly omnipresent billboard 
shows tribesmen and wild game above the caption 
"friendship, peace, cooperation and development," in 
English, French and Chinese.  Another popular sign 
reads, "Africa: Land of Myth and Miracles."  The 
pedestrian walkway at Wangfujing, a crowded centrally- 
located shopping venue, is lined with brightly colored 
photographic displays of every African country, 
complete with basic facts such as the name of the 
capital city, the population and the national 
language.  At either end of Wangfujing, corporate- 
event style displays of African scenes have been 
erected.  School dance troupes decked out in 
traditional Chinese costumes perform African dances 
with Chinese characteristics, which mostly appear to 
involve beating madly on Chinese drum sets. 
 
Security Tight 
-------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) In an apparent practice run for the Olympics, 
the PRC and Beijing's Municipal Government have 
visibly tightened security for the summit, installing 
metal detectors in the lobbies of and increasing 
police presence at every major Beijing hotel hosting 
African delegations.  Civilian volunteers mobilized to 
provide additional neighborhood security are visible 
in downtown crowds, although not in great numbers. 
Xinhua reported that 810,000 such volunteers have been 
deployed.  The volunteers sport red armbands, which 
some Chinese netizens have cited as reminiscent of Red 
Guards during the Cultural Revolution. 
 
Positive Press Play ... 
----------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The press has been filled with articles with 
such titles as "Why are we cheering on our African 
brothers in such a way?" and its complement, "Why are 
our African brothers so supportive?"  Some 
commentators have also employed the term "African 
buddies," using a popular Beijing slang expression, to 
describe people from the continent.  Africa-related 
articles have been largely upbeat, focusing on the 
mutual benefits of Sino-Africa cooperation while 
refuting perceived Western criticisms.  In particular, 
articles have taken pains to reject any suggestion 
that China's involvement in Africa smacks of neo- 
Colonialism or opportunism.  Newspapers, including the 
Beijing Youth Daily and The Beijing News, have run 
special segments or are dedicating extra coverage to 
FOCAC.  Andy Zhang, a reporter from the Beijing Daily, 
said his newspaper would attempt to interview two 
 
BEIJING 00023169  002 OF 002 
 
 
African Ambassadors per day during the summit. 
Positive statements from African officials about China 
have received major play in the media. 
 
... Has Not Been Left to Chance 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) The Propaganda Department has issued strict 
guidelines to the media about how to handle the 
Beijing Summit.  During the dates surrounding the 
event, media outlets are prohibited from reporting on 
energy issues related to Africa or on Chinese 
investment in specific countries on the continent, 
said Zhou Qing'an (protect), a regular contributor of 
commentary on international relations to the Beijing 
News.  China's energy and investment strategies are 
topics that could cast China's Africa involvement in 
an unflattering light.  Zhou acknowledged that such 
limitations leave little else of substance that is 
worth writing about.  Nonetheless, Zhou wrote a column 
for the Southern Metropolitan Daily advocating 
increased environmental protection cooperation.  "It 
was the best I could do given the rules," he said. 
 
¶6.  (C) Victor Yuan (protect), president of the 
Horizon polling company and a longtime Embassy 
contact, remarked that his recent informal research 
about Chinese attitudes toward Africa are positive but 
fairly superficial.  Individuals who remember the Mao 
era associate Africans (and Latin Americans and 
certain other Asians) with China's efforts to be a 
"beacon and advocate to the third world," Yuan said. 
In addition, everyone knew about apartheid in South 
Africa, he said.  As such, a reservoir of goodwill 
exists.  But average Chinese know little about current 
conditions in Africa (Zhang of the Beijing Daily 
separately agreed).  China's interest in Africa's 
energy and natural resources do not influence 
perceptions, Yuan observed.  In fact, most are 
ignorant of these concerns.  He said he recently 
conducted a survey asking Chinese people where they 
think the bulk of China's energy resources come from. 
Africa did not figure among the top responses.  Most 
said Russia, Yuan related, even though China's oil 
supplies largely come from the Middle East.  As for 
the summit, Yuan said most Beijing citizens he has 
spoken with are more concerned about the potential for 
traffic snarls than with larger geopolitical matters. 
 
Internet Buzz 
------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Nonetheless, Africa has been a hot topic in 
Internet forums, with many posts commenting on the 
political aspects of Sino-African relations (Ref B). 
Some netizens have maintained that China must never 
forget that African countries supported the PRC's bid 
to obtain a permanent seat on the United Nations 
Security Council.  Others recalled PRC efforts to 
torpedo the G-4 UNSCR reform proposal that could have 
resulted in a permanent seat on the Council for an 
African country (and possibly Japan).  One post urged 
China to strengthen relations with Africa in order to 
oppose the United States, Europe and Japan.  Despite 
the generally positive views on the forum, a few 
netizens have questioned why China pours so much money 
and effort into support for Africa when China's own 
students need greater financial assistance.  Another 
post questioned why China should support African 
countries that are corrupt, because China's largesse 
may not flow to its intended beneficiaries. 
Randt