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O 130901Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7250
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001840 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DOD FOR OSD/APSA SHINN/SEDNEY/HILL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/13/2028 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MARR MASS MCAP CH TW BW
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY DISCUSSES BILATERAL DIALOGUES, 
MIL-MIL, BURMA, TAIWAN WITH LTG MA XIAOTIAN 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR AUBREY CARLSON. REASONS 1.4 
 (B) AND (D). 
 
¶1. (U) May 11, 2008; 3:00 p.m.; Beijing, Ministry of National 
Defense, Ba Yi Building. 
 
¶2. (U) Participants: 
 
UNITED STATES 
The Deputy Secretary 
Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr. 
Thomas Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for 
East Asian and Pacific Affairs 
David Sedney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East 
Asia 
BG Charles Hooper, Defense Attache, United States Embassy 
Kaye Lee, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State 
Ted Wittenstein, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of 
State 
LTC Jeff Louie, Assistant Air Attache, United States Embassy 
Roy Therrien, Embassy notetaker 
James Brown, Interpreter 
 
CHINA 
Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian, People's Liberation Army 
(PLA) Deputy Chief of the General Staff 
Senior Captain (Navy) Guan Youfei, Deputy Chief, Ministry of 
National Defense (MND) Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) 
Senior Colonel Huang Xueping, Deputy Director of 
American/Oceanian Affairs Bureau, MND FAO 
Colonel Guo Hangwei, Executive Assistant for LTGEN Ma 
PLA notetakers 
Interpreter 
 
¶3. (C) Summary:  In their May 11 meeting, Deputy Secretary 
Negroponte and PLA Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ma 
Xiaotian agreed on the importance of keeping up the positive 
momentum on bilateral dialogues.  LTGEN Ma said China is 
studying the U.S. request to hold the second round of 
Strategic Nuclear Talks in China in September, but expressed 
concern that the talks may be "a little repetitious" if held 
too close to the 10th round of the Defense Consultative Talks 
(DCTs) planned for the second half of 2008.  LTGEN Ma noted 
that he looks forward to meeting with Acting U/S Rood in June 
for the Security Dialogue.  Claiming the U.S.-China 
military-to-military relationship is "lagging" behind the 
political, cultural and economic relationships, LTGEN Ma 
called for an explanation of why 14 military exchanges to the 
United States in 2008 have allegedly been denied or remain 
undecided.  (Note:  DASD Sedney met May 12 with the PLA to 
clarify this issue.)  LTGEN Ma said PRC relief supplies to 
Burma have been distributed to the people.  He assured the 
Deputy Secretary the PRC will "do its best" to urge officials 
in Burma to receive U.S. relief supplies.  Although the 
January and March election results in Taiwan "improved 
stability and relaxed tensions" in the region, LTGEN Ma said, 
"there is still a long way to go" for the two sides to 
establish genuine mutual trust and develop a structure for 
long-lasting peace.  End Summary. 
 
Importance of Expanded Dialogue 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) In their May 11 meeting, Deputy Secretary Negroponte 
and PLA Deputy Chief of the General Staff Ma Xiaotian agreed 
on the importance of keeping up the positive momentum in 
bilateral dialogues.  The Deputy Secretary, emphasizing the 
importance of exchanges at all levels, said more dialogue on 
all issues, especially security matters, is good for both 
countries.  LTGEN Ma said that even though the United States 
and PRC sometimes have different strategic interests, with 
concerted efforts, "we will always find common ground, common 
interests."  LTGEN Ma emphasized the importance of building 
personal relationships in the security field. 
 
Strategic Nuclear Talks in September? 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The Deputy Secretary thanked the PRC for sending 
Second Artillery and Academy of Military Science 
representatives to the United States April 21-22 for the 
first Strategic Nuclear Dialogue.  LTGEN Ma noted that the 
PRC is studying the U.S. request to hold the second round of 
Strategic Nuclear Talks in China in September, but expressed 
 
BEIJING 00001840  002 OF 003 
 
 
concern that the talks may be "a little repetitious" if held 
too close to the 10th round of the Defense Consultative Talks 
(DCTs) planned for the second half of 2008.  The Deputy 
Secretary acknowledged Ma's concern but pointed out that Ma's 
own emphasis on building personal relationships might be best 
addressed by more, not fewer, discussions. 
 
Security Dialogue Likely in Early June 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) The Deputy Secretary noted that Undersecretary of 
State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs 
Rood will be coming to Beijing soon for the Security Dialogue 
to discuss issues such as force modernization, transparency 
and space policy with AFM He Yafei.  The Deputy Secretary 
said the United States hopes the PLA will take part in this 
dialogue and both sides can take the opportunity to delve 
into security issues in detail.  LTGEN Ma noted that he looks 
forward to meeting with U/S Rood in early June at the 
Security Dialogue.  (Note:  The MFA has not yet formally 
accepted our proposal to hold the Security Dialogue in early 
June.) 
 
Military-to-Military Exchanges "Not That Balanced" 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶7. (C) LTGEN Ma claimed the bilateral military-to-military 
relationship is "lagging" behind the political, cultural and 
economic relationships.  Calling the relationship between the 
two countries' armed forces "very positive," LTGEN Ma 
specifically cited the "functional level" and "educational 
field" as areas for expanded exchanges.  Noting the two 
countries already have a good framework for exchanges at the 
policy level, the Deputy Secretary called on LTGEN Ma to 
consider "opportunities for more junior officers to get to 
know their counterparts better." 
 
¶8. (C) LTGEN Ma said that at the 9th Defense Consultative 
Talks (DCTs) in December 2007, the United States and China 
agreed to have 61 exchanges in 2008, 31 to China and 30 to 
the United States.  Since then, he claimed, the PRC has 
hosted "a dozen" exchanges, while the United States has only 
hosted four:  the Strategic Nuclear Dialogue, a PLA military 
course and two cadet exchanges, one from the Nanjing Polytech 
Academy and the other from the PLA Air Force Academy.  Of the 
other 26 programs, LTGEN Ma claimed 12 have been approved 
while the remaining 14 have "been declined or yet to be 
reported."  LTGEN Ma asked for an explanation as soon as 
possible.  The Deputy Secretary agreed that the United States 
and China should follow up at the working level to examine 
opportunities for exchanges. 
 
¶9. (C) The PRC has hosted the "vast majority" of exchanges 
this year, LTGEN Ma alleged, and the PLA is "doing its best 
to accommodate" U.S. military visits.  LTGEN Ma cited the 
visits of then-Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and CODEL Skelton 
to the Second Artillery Headquarters, "a place that had never 
been open to foreign political leaders before."  He said the 
PRC allowed the current and former Chairmen of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff, ADM Mullen and GEN Pace, to see the Su27 
fighter jet, T99 main battle tank, and China's "best 
conventional submarine, the 039 class."  LTGEN Ma said that 
China gives much better access and shows greater transparency 
to the United States than it does to other countries.  He 
noted that Central Military Commission (CMC) Vice Chairman Xu 
Caihou and PLA Air Force Commander and CMC member Xu Qiliang 
will travel to the United States this year, in addition to an 
exchange between the Presidents of each country's National 
Defense University and a PLA Military Region Commander visit 
to PACOM Headquarters.  DASD Sedney promised to discuss LTGEN 
Ma's concerns in a May 12 meeting with his counterpart. 
 
PRC Relief Supplies Getting to Burma 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (C) Following the Deputy Secretary's query, LTGEN Ma said 
that PRC relief supplies to Burma moved in two shipments, one 
worth 4 million RMB (USD 571 thousand) and another worth 30 
million RMB (USD 4.3 million).  An assistant to LTGEN Ma 
explained that the first PRC shipment arrived May 3, with the 
PRC Ambassador to Burma on hand for the delivery.  The 
General's aide claimed the supplies were given to the Burmese 
Government, then "handed out on the spot" to the people.  The 
Deputy Secretary noted that the United States has relief 
 
BEIJING 00001840  003 OF 003 
 
 
supplies "for strictly humanitarian purposes" ready to go but 
has been unable to deliver them.  The Deputy Secretary asked 
for PRC assistance in obtaining Burmese approval to deliver 
relief supplies, to which LTGEN Ma responded, "we will do our 
best." 
 
Taiwan 
------ 
 
¶11. (C) LTGEN Ma expressed appreciation for U.S. public 
statements on the March 22 UN referendum in Taiwan.  LTGEN Ma 
said that the results of the legislative elections in January 
and the referendum and presidential election votes in March 
had led to "improved stability and relaxed tensions" in the 
cross-Strait region.  There is "still a long way to go," he 
said, for the two sides to establish genuine mutual trust and 
develop a structure for long-lasting peace.  LTGEN Ma 
expressed opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, 
"especially of advanced weapons, like the F16 C/D."  The 
Deputy Secretary stressed the U.S. commitment to its one 
China policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the 
Taiwan Relations Act and assured LTGEN Ma that the United 
States acts responsibly. 
 
¶12. (U) The traveling party cleared thiscable. 
RANDT