VZCZCXRO6854
RR RUEHAO
DE RUEHPO #0305 1661646
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 151646Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9437
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0128
RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 1135
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0014

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARAMARIBO 000305 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA/CAR FOR LAURA LUFTIG AND BOB COLLINS, AM EMBASSY 
BRIDGETOWN FOR POL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/16/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV NS ST KCOR
SUBJECT: CHINA/TAIWAN: ACCUSATIONS OF BRIBERY IN ST. LUCIA 
FROM SURINAME 
 
REF: A. 2007 PARAMARIBO 133 
     ¶B. 2007 PARAMARIBO 297 
     ¶C. 2006 PARAMARIBO 698 
     ¶D. 2007 PARAMARIBO 165 
 
Classified By: PolOff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
This cable is the second in a series on Chinese and Taiwanese 
activities in Suriname in the spring of 2007. 
 
¶1. (C)  SUMMARY:  Government of Suriname (GOS) Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MFA) Head of the Americas Division Terence 
Craig (protect) told Post the government of Taiwan (GOT) 
bribed the government of St. Lucia (GOSL) to reject a 
"One-China Policy."  The accusations are ironic given local 
grumbling that the GOS supports the "One-China Policy," 
allegedly because of favors received from the Government of 
China (GOC).  END SUMMARY 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Rolexes, DVDs, and Cash for St. Lucia, Others? 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (C)  Speaking on a favorite hobby horse, CARICOM unity 
(ref A), when demarched on another topic, GOS MFA Head of the 
Americas Division Terence Craig digressed with an example 
regarding a second favorite hobby horse: treachery by "small 
East Caribbean nations" on China policy.  Craig told Post 
"off the record" that the GOSL in particular had sabotaged 
efforts for CARICOM consensus on a "One-China Policy;" he 
went on to say that GOSL officials had been bribed.  Craig 
said he obtained his information from the GOC (NOTE: Most 
likely from popular and charming GOC Ambassador to Suriname 
Su Ge, who has also recently shown off an ability to play 
hardball: will report septel.)  Craig elaborated to say that 
government officials from St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines, and a third nation (he wasn,t sure, but thought 
St. Kitts and Nevis) had gone out to lunch with GOT officials 
and left the meeting with Rolexes and DVDs.  Craig further 
said that the Taiwanese (GOT) hasn,t been living up to its 
commitments in the East Caribbean, whereas the GOC was 
investing substantially. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Junkets and Hand-Outs for Suriname? 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C)  These accusations come fresh off of an aggressive 
attempt by the GOT to get Suriname to switch allegiances as 
well (ref B).  While Craig may accuse the GOT of outright 
bribery, the GOS, and in particular Craig,s MFA, are 
beholden to the GOC for everything from easily-obtained loans 
(ref C) to the construction of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs building itself.  Furthermore, in a typical example 
of the dollar-diplomacy which the GOC uses to sway the GOS, 
Surinamese Vice President Ramdien Sardjoe arrived in China 
June 10 for a six day "courtesy call," two Ministers in tow. 
On June 13, his office announced U.S. $29.2 million in new 
soft-loan agreements with the GOC.  Such junkets are common; 
Speaker of Parliament Paul Somohardjo also visited China in 
2007, as did Minister of Health Celsius Waterberg, who 
received an all-expenses-paid courtesy visit to Beijing and 
returned with a vague, hastily-negotiated agreement to 
collaborate on development of traditional medicine. 
 
¶4. (C)  COMMENT:  Craig,s insinuations may or may not have a 
basis in fact; the idea that officials in the Caribbean would 
be swayed by a few Rolexes on matters involving millions in 
foreign assistance seems a bit far-fetched.  Also, Post 
suspects Suriname may be the point-man for the GOC's strategy 
in the Caribbean, as evidenced by the March 2007 visit to 
Suriname of Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of 
the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central 
Committee.  As a member of the Chinese delegation indicated 
to the Ambassador during the March 27 dinner in Li's honor, 
Suriname was the only Caribbean stop in the Central Committee 
member's tour of the Western Hemisphere.  Moreover, the 
Surinamese MFA's strong allegiance to the GOC may lead it to 
gullibility when listening to GOC insinuations.  At bottom, 
the incident demonstrates that the China vs. Taiwan struggle 
in the Caribbean is taken very seriously by both sides, and 
getting very dirty.  END COMMENT 
SCHREIBER HUGHES