VZCZCXRO3708
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #4406 3370940
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020940Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1176
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 004406 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C 
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007) 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR CH
 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SED, MUMBAI ATTACKS, FINANCIAL CRISIS 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. SED 
 
"U.S. - China SED has room for an upgrade" 
 
The official popular newspaper Beijing Youth Daily (Beijing 
Qingnianbao)(12/02): "This year's SED differs greatly in its 
background from the previous.  One obvious difference is the degree 
of the U.S. financial crisis and how the crisis has intensified. 
Topics this time will be more practical and in-depth.  Another 
difference is that Obama has been elected President of the United 
States.  This means that the Strategic Dialogue topics will change. 
This will be the last time that Paulson attends the SED as financial 
secretary. Topics brought by the U.S. include energy, environment 
and the bilateral investment protection agreement.  The U.S. has 
paid emphasis on the last topic since the U.S. urgently needs to 
cooperate with China in this field to step out of the economic 
crisis. The appointment of Geithner has (also) provided an 
opportunity to introduce a new set of topics into the SED. For 
Obama, the SED is one of a few diplomatic achievements that Bush has 
made on the US-China relations. It is foreseeable that after Obama 
steps into office, that the senior economic dialogue system of 
communication between the U.S. and China will continue to exist." 
 
¶2. MUMBAI ATTACKS 
 
"The Mumbai terror attacks ring the alert" 
 
The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao)(12/02): 
"The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have once again rung alarm bells in 
big cities in Southern Asia and throughout the world.  The failure 
to effectively defend densely populated cities from terrorists and 
fight against terrorists has become a perennial problem for the War 
on Terror.  If India and Pakistan are thrust into and trapped in 
crisis, it is the terrorism organizations and extremists who will 
have benefited. That's why the American media is worrying about the 
consequence of the incident. The possible India-Pakistan conflict 
will disturb the U.S. military deployment. However, 'shooting water 
far does not put out the near fire'. The attacks symbolize the 
serious frustrations in the fight against terrorism. The future War 
on Terror is facing new challenges." 
 
¶3. GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS 
 
"Be vigilant about how the economic crisis will infect global 
politics" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(12/02): "The current financial crisis has 
revealed two long term conflicts in international relations.  One is 
between Western developed countries and non-Western developing 
countries.  Developed countries always dragged non-western countries 
down with their huge debts, so that most of the under-developed 
countries have no chance of 'being liberated.' The other is within 
Western developed countries. The world has seen increased and fierce 
competition between leadership in world finance, economics and 
politics among European and American countries. As the biggest 
developing country and one of the five permanent members of Security 
Council, China is responsible to the 1929 economic crisis. China 
should maintain its independence in the world's economic politics, 
not following European and America and not standing absolutely 
opposed to the will of Europe and America." 
 
RANDT