VZCZCXRO6358
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0113 0150936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150936Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1848
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 000113 
 
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: RUSSIA, ISRAEL, U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. RUSSIA 
 
"The conflict is on a downward spiral, even though the conflict took 
a briefly positive turn" 
 
The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao)(01/14): 
"If Russia wants to transfer gas into Europe, it must transport gas 
through the Ukrainian border. However, Ukraine has not opened its 
borders, and therefore, Russia is not able to transport gas into 
Europe. Thus, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, which has lasted nearly a 
month and a half, has taken a downward turn. The EU is urging 
discussions between Russia and Ukraine. They must find a resolution 
that all parties will accept. The current natural gas price and 
cross-border fee issues have yet to be resolved. If the 
transportation guarantee issue is left unresolved, the Ukrainians 
will lose valuable negotiation leverage. For this reason, Ukraine 
will not compromise on the issue." 
 
¶2. ISRAEL 
 
"Palestine-Israel conflicts will test Obama" 
 
The official Communist Party People's Daily (Renmin Ribao)(01/14): 
"The huge humanitarian disaster caused by the Palestine - Israel 
conflict has aroused heightened attention within the international 
community. This important international crisis will become the first 
that Obama will need to face as soon as he takes office. This 
conflict is likely to directly challenge Obama's ability and wisdom 
in dealing with an international crisis. Israel's timing to launch 
such a large scale strike shows that it worries about Obama: first, 
Obama is less pro-Israel than Bush. Second, Israel has many doubts 
about the new U.S. Middle East policy. Third, Obama's adjustment to 
diplomacy and security policy contradicts with Israel's interests. 
In fact, the conflict is a challenge to the U.S. Middle East policy. 
Once Obama steps into office, he can't avoid stating his position on 
the Israel issue." 
 
¶2. U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS 
 
"The U.S. exaggerates the poisonous effects of Chinese building 
materials" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(01/14): "A person in Florida has recently 
accused China on the grounds that China-made plasterboard (a 
building material) has a toxic smell and burns electrical wires. 
Many Americans worry that China's 'poisonous wall' will only make 
the real-estate market downturn worse.  Chinese experts indicate 
that, since the bad-quality of certain Chinese products has been 
publicized, the public easily blames China on all related issues. 
However, this incident is still under investigation and it is unfair 
and irresponsible to point-the-finger at China as the responsible 
party. When the global economy is not well, the 'bad-quality' of 
Chinese products is easily exaggerated. Chinese companies should be 
prepared for this situation. The Chinese toy incident is one 
example. During this incident, the American media directed blame 
towards China. However, through a forward thinking investigation, 
people finally discovered the critical problem was the American toy 
company's design of the toys.... Toying with trade protectionism 
during the financial crisis will likely harm the U.S. economy." 
 
RANDT