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FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
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RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 6118
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 9615
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RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 002324 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP -- KEVIN SHEIVES 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2018 
TAGS: PREL ARF EAID ASEAN CH
SUBJECT: CHINA ON ARF STATEMENT ON REGIONAL DISASTER 
PREPAREDNESS 
 
REF: STATE 61440 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Ben Moeling. Reasons 
 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) PolOff on June 12 conveyed to MFA reftel points on 
issuing an ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Statement 
on Regional Disaster Preparedness at the July 24 ARF 
Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.  MFA Asian Department Asian 
Multilateral Security Division Director Ma Jia said China 
"strongly supports" in principle the idea of an ARF 
Ministerial statement on disaster preparedness, especially in 
light of the recent erthquake in Sichuan.  Ma predicted that 
Singapre would also support the idea.  She noted thatthe 
idea for a templateStatus of Forces Agreement is especially 
important.  In general, she said, China favors more military 
input into ARF.  Ma said some ASEAN countries may have 
reservations about a SOFA template, however, and stressed it 
would be important to characterize correctly the limited 
scope of a SOFA template. 
 
¶2. (C) Ma's only note of caution was her observation that the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on 
disaster relief.  She said ARF work may have to await the 
results of ASEAN's ongoing effort to draft a set of standard 
operating procedures on disaster relief and the establishment 
of ASEAN's planned "Humanitarian Relief Center." 
PICCUTA