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Viewing cable 08BEIJING4250, DATA EXCHANGE ISSUE DISCUSSED AT NOAA-SOA MARINE SCIENCE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08BEIJING4250 2008-11-18 08:35 2011-08-23 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Beijing
VZCZCXRO3424
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHBJ #4250/01 3230835
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180835Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0915
INFO RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS WASHDC
RUEAHLC/DHS WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC 0737
RHMFIUU/NSF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUWDQAC/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//DCO/CG-5/CG-51/CG-51-M//
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 9537
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0013
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 9521
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 9199
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0730
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 7105
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 004250 
 
STATE FOR OES AND EAP/CM 
REQUEST CG-51-M PLEASE PASS TO OGMSA 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPL SENV TSPA PGOV PREL MARR CH
SUBJECT: DATA EXCHANGE ISSUE DISCUSSED AT NOAA-SOA MARINE SCIENCE 
FORUM 
 
REFTEL: BEIJING 3939 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  During meetings at the margins of the World Ocean 
Week and U.S.-China Marine Science Forum in Xiamen November 7-10, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Assistant 
Administrator for Research Dr. Richard Spinrad raised with State 
Oceanic Administration (SOA) Deputy Administrator CHEN Lianzeng the 
chronic issue of SOA not fulfilling its commitment to grant 
real-time or near real-time access to data from its Haiyang 1 (HY-1) 
ocean satellite. (NOTE: SOA currently shares one month-old HY-1 
data, which according to NOAA provides no value to operational 
oceanic and atmospheric forecasts and predictions. (REFTEL) END 
NOTE) SOA raised several concerns but in the end tentatively agreed 
to refer the issue to the longstanding NOAA/SOA Ocean Data Panel to 
define potential restrictions and the most timely method for 
carrying out the data exchange.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) Over the course of several days of discussions with Chen 
and other SOA officials, SOA raised several concrete objections to 
NOAA's request to receive "timely" access to HY-series data.  Chen 
drew clear lines that SOA indicated it would not cross, but did open 
the door to the possibility of stripping out "coastal data" and 
passing to NOAA only "open ocean data," and committed to letting the 
NOAA/SOA Ocean Data Panel discuss how to set up the exchange 
mechanism with the least amount of lag time. 
 
3.  (SBU) The objections Chen raised were firmly rooted in "national 
security considerations" and activities that would be considered 
"illegal" under Chinese law, i.e., allowing foreign entities access 
to data or information of strategic significance is not permitted. 
In particular, Chen referenced the denial of a 2006 request by SOA 
to then-NOAA Administrator Lautenbacher to share U.S. Navy 
hydrographic data collected in the Taiwan Strait, noting that the 
"the inclination not to share data due to security concerns also 
exists on the U.S. side as well."  Spinrad emphasized that the 
previous Chinese request involved U.S. Navy data, which NOAA has no 
authority to share, whereas Chinese HY data is "owned" by SOA for 
scientific applications.  In response to Spinrad's suggestion that 
NOAA and SOA should agree to focus the data exchange discussions 
only on data "owned" by NOAA and SOA respectively, Chen refused, 
saying that all such issues "are related." 
 
4. (SBU) Chen later added, however, that he hoped the nearly 30 
years of NOAA/SOA cooperation in marine science would not be 
derailed by this one point of contention, and that the two sides 
could use the Marine Science Forum (which took place the following 
day) to refocus on areas of "mutual" priority and benefit.  Spinrad 
agreed that the forum would be useful for beginning to identify 
areas of collaboration for the next two years, but he was certain 
that most if not all joint research being considered would be 
dependent upon the availability of a continuous and reliable stream 
of raw data, and that this issue needs to move forward. 
 
5. (SBU) At Spinrad's suggestion to focus on what data SOA would in 
fact be comfortable sharing (without necessarily contravening 
Chinese security laws), Chen finally agreed to allow SOA officials 
to work with NOAA to set procedures for sharing on a trial basis 
"open ocean" (not "coastal") data from HY-1, with every effort made 
toward streamlining the process and reducing the time lag.  NOAA and 
SOA later agreed to allow their jointly-composed Ocean Data Panel of 
experts to meet in coming months to deliberate over and recommend 
mutually-acceptable procedures. 
 
6. (SBU) COMMENT: Although this data issue has been ongoing for 
several years now, the conversations in Xiamen marked the first time 
in recent memory Post has heard an SOA official as high-ranking as 
Chen tie the denial of timely HY-1 coastal data directly to China's 
military concerns, or to hydrographic activities carried out by the 
U.S. Navy.  NOAA left the meetings hopeful by the commitment it 
managed to extract from SOA to exchange "open ocean" data as a basis 
for future exchanges.  However, the fact that SOA refused to have 
the results of these sidebar discussions summarized in the Marine 
Science Forum minutes perhaps gives some indication of SOA's only 
moderate commitment to following through with this agreement.  END 
COMMENT 
 
BEIJING 00004250  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
7.  (U) This cable has been cleared by NOAA Office of Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Research. 
 
RANDT