VZCZCXRO6074
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0315/01 0400858
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090858Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2178
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000315 
 
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: SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT, U.S. POLICY, 
RUSSIA 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT 
 
"The order of the visits gives clues to Clinton's diplomacy goals" 
 
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication 
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/09): "Secretary 
Clinton has carefully arranged her Asia trip. She is creating a 
balance between China and Japan. With the organization of her visit, 
Secretary Clinton has successfully removed Japan's worries and at 
the same time given China face. 
In recent years, along with China's rise, China's position in the 
U.S.' foreign strategy has quickly improved.  China has had a major 
role in the North Korea nuclear issue. Thus Secretary Clinton, not 
only has put China as the last in an important stop, but has also 
given China two days, the same as Japan. During her visit in China, 
the financial crisis is a necessary topic. U.S.-China cooperation in 
bilateral and multilateral fields is in a need of continuation and 
development. As the first senior official in the Obama 
administration to visit China, Secretary Clinton also hopes the 
visit will provide a foundation for bilateral relations in the 
following years. She hopes that her performance will be successful 
for her first Asia trip." 
 
¶2. U.S. POLICY 
 
a. "Obama throws his first diplomatic ball" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/09): "Recently, senior officials of the 
Obama administration have begun to visit the world. American and 
Russian leaders have conducted their first meeting. With this 
meeting, Obama has thrown his first diplomatic ball and given up the 
diplomatic concept made famous by the Bush administration; friend or 
foe. 
It seems that the U.S. will increase its contact, listening and 
discussion with the world. They are likely to put more emphasis on 
diplomacy rather than military power. ...   As for Hillary's 
[Secretary Clinton's] Asia trip, analysts thought that the nuclear 
issues in North Korea would be on the top of her agenda, an 
important topic for her discussions with the leaders of China, 
Japan, and Korea.  Hillary [Secretary Clinton] has to gain China's 
support on this issue. For Envoy Holbrooke's visit to Pakistan, it 
is important that the relations between India and Pakistan improve; 
if they remain tense and can't be normalized, there will be no peace 
or stability for Afghanistan at all." 
 
b. "The White House is not the source of the U.S.' decision on 
China" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/09): "If China wants to be prepared for 
any U.S. decision on China, it should understand the complexity of 
the internal political fights within the U.S. The foreign policy of 
the U.S. is a complicated and contradicting process. The president, 
the security commissioner, congress, think-tanks, the press, and the 
public will all influence the foreign policy agenda of the U.S. The 
U.S. government's decision is always influenced by interest groups 
and it sometimes acts in contradictory ways. As long as China 
understands the political operation of the U.S., thinking logically 
and considering the religious influence in their society, China will 
not become confused about the U.S.' China policy. In recognizing the 
internal political conflicts in American society, China will have a 
new foundation on which to study the U.S." 
 
¶3. RUSSIA 
 
"U.S.- Russia act in this way: 'the enemy advances and we retreat'" 
 
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication 
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/09): "The U.S. 
and Russia are dancing a delicate and combative dance. As one makes 
a step forward, the other makes a step back. Since Obama took 
office, the U.S. diplomacy offices have been conducting friendly 
gestures towards Iran, North Korea and Russia. If the U.S. and 
Russia can resume their negotiations on disarmament, the improvement 
of the U.S.-Russia relationship will resume. But Russia reacted in a 
cautious way. Kyrgyzstan recently shut down the U.S. air base, which 
is a severe strike against Obama's strategy on the war on terror. 
Public opinion indicates that the shutting down of the American base 
was taken because of pressure from Russia. It is still unknown 
whether or not Obama's future decisions on the anti-missile system 
issue will satisfy Russia. Russia has made its stance clear by 
slowing their idea of deploying a missile. It is not difficult to 
understand why the two countries' relationship has begun to thaw. 
 
BEIJING 00000315  002 OF 002 
 
 
However, due to the basic confrontation of the two on NATO, Eastward 
expansion and control over 'the former Soviet Union', it is hard for 
these two countries to return to the honeymoon relationship that 
they enjoyed in the past." 
 
PICCUTA