VZCZCXRO2455
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHBJ #0204/01 0221229
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221229Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1989
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000204 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2029 
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM MEPP CH IS XF
SUBJECT: PRC/MEPP: CHINA VEXES ARABS WITH RESTRAINED 
RESPONSE TO GAZA CONFLICT 
 
REF: BEIJING 165 
 
Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief Ben Moeling. 
Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  After a briefing by Chinese Middle East 
Envoy Sun Bigan, Arab ambassadors in China were frustrated 
and disappointed by Beijing's measured response to the recent 
Gaza violence, Arab embassy contacts said January 22.  They 
expected Chinese condemnation of Israel, based on China's 
history of supporting the Palestinian cause.  The failure to 
condemn Israel directly rendered meaningless Special Envoy 
Sun's "five principles" solution to the crisis, and they 
blamed China's tepid response on China's desire to develop 
closer long-term ties with Israel.  Contacts at Arab 
embassies in Beijing told us that Arab League members also 
expressed to Special Envoy Sun frustration at what they 
perceive as efforts by the Chinese media to downplay the 
humanitarian aspects of the Gaza situation.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) China's Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process 
Ambassador Sun Bigan briefed the Arab League and Arab 
embassies in Beijing January 19 on his travel to the Middle 
East and China's "five principles" for dealing with the 
situation in Gaza.  Post received a similar briefing January 
20 (reftel).  Ahmed Mustafa Fahmy, Assistant Head of Mission 
to the Arab League's mission to Beijing, Egyptian Emboff 
Haitham Safey, and Saudi Embassy Economic Chief Majed 
Alshammary briefed PolOff on the Sun meeting. 
 
Disappointment, Unmet Expectations of Chinese Support 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3. (C) All three contacts reported disappointment with the 
Chinese position on Gaza, given China's historical support 
for the Palestinian cause and good relations with Arab 
countries in the Middle East.  Egyptian EmbOff Haitham 
reported that the Arab ambassadors were dissatisfied with the 
outcome because of the expectation that China would more 
strongly condemn Israeli "military aggression."  Instead, the 
ambassadors were frustrated that China sought primarily to 
"point the finger" at Hamas, Haitham noted, and also at 
China's refusal to deal with Hamas because it is a "non-state 
actor."  He added that China has done "nothing except support 
UNSCR 1860." 
 
¶4. (C) Ahmed Mustafa from the Arab League expressed similar 
frustration, saying their member states "did not appreciate" 
the Chinese response to the Gaza situation.  He noted that 
Sun's "five principles" were a positive sign but there was no 
action from the Chinese to push the program forward.  Ahmed 
Mustafa argued that this approach reflects China's 
traditional low-risk approach to Middle East engagement, and 
was thus not unexpected, but he added that the Arab 
ambassadors had expected more because of the humanitarian 
issues involved in the Gaza situation.  Majed from the Saudi 
embassy agreed that they also had hoped for a "stronger" 
response from the Chinese. 
 
Contacts: Closer Ties with Israel Drove Chinese Response 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶5. (C) All three contacts observed that the Chinese position 
on Gaza was carefully calibrated to take into consideration 
China's need to develop closer ties with Israel, a 
consideration that constrained Sun's mission from the outset. 
 Ahmed Mustafa noted that the Chinese strategy in the Middle 
East reflects the desire to have good relations with all 
countries, including Israel, as a part of its overall 
strategy for maintaining economic growth, especially given 
slowing global demand for Chinese goods.  The shift toward 
Israel, he suggested, represents a trend that Arab countries 
understand and can accept in the long-term, but the Arab 
League was nevertheless frustrated by the moderate Chinese 
response to the Gaza conflict. 
 
Arab Frustration with Chinese Official Media Portrayal 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶6. (C) Ahmed Mustafa said that the Arab League ambassadors 
also used their meeting with Special Envoy Sun to express 
their frustration at the portrayal of the violence in Gaza in 
the Chinese official media.  He said that he believes the 
official press sought to downplay the extent of the damage in 
Gaza, especially by avoiding graphic images of the bloodshed. 
 Instead, he noted, the Chinese press played up Sun's 
diplomatic efforts.  He said that the Arab League ambassadors 
complained to Sun that such coverage would give Chinese 
citizens a distorted impression of what was happening in 
Gaza.  According to Ahmed Mustafa, the ambassadors told China 
 
BEIJING 00000204  002 OF 002 
 
 
that its coverage was less balanced than coverage in the 
western press. 
PICCUTA