VZCZCXYZ0008
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBJ #0429 0500905
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190905Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2407
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 000429 
 
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: U.S.-CHINA MILITARY RELATIONS, U.S. POLICY, 
BUY AMERICAN BILL 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. U.S.-CHINA MILITARY RELATIONS 
 
"U.S.-China military discussions will not avoid speaking about the 
arms sales to Taiwan" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/19): "A Chinese military official has 
recently said that China will request that they discuss the arms 
sales to Taiwan during the up-coming U.S.-China Defense Coordination 
Dialogue. The resumption of U.S.-China military contact last week 
does not mean that arms sales to Taiwan are all right. To improve 
military relations, the U.S. needs to make substantial improvements 
on the issue of arms sales to Taiwan. Chinese experts indicate that 
China should make its stance known during this dialogue and put 
certain pressure on the U.S. on the issue. In the recent years, the 
U.S. has become more positive in military exchanges with China. It 
is always the U.S. who from time to time makes abrupt decisions. 
Thus the U.S. needs to restrain its behavior a bit." 
 
¶2. U.S. POLICY 
 
"American economy damages Obama's authority" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/19): "American officials have said that 
the financial crisis has become the greatest security threat to 
America. The drop in the American stock market shows that, even a 
stimulus plan of 800$billion cannot give the American people 
confidence. The U.S. has upgraded the financial crisis to the level 
of a national security risk. The process of resolving the crisis has 
been connected with Obama's personal authority, which reached its 
maximum before he took office, and is now enduring the challenge of 
American internal party politics. Chinese experts indicate that 
American people have overly high expectations for Obama. His glory 
covers up his laws. In fact, the American people have not lost their 
confidence in Obama completely. They are just disappointed in the 
economic situation. Even so, the impact on the American economy, due 
to their lack of confidence, is severe." 
 
¶3. BUY AMERICAN BILL 
 
"Trade protectionism is cocaine" 
 
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication 
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/19): "The Buy 
American bill has an obvious implication of trade protectionism. In 
globalization, procurement for infrastructure construction is based 
on market rules. However, the advance limitation on the scope of 
procurement violates market rules. To more than 100 non-favorite WTO 
members, U.S. Law No. 1640 is a piece of negative news. The real 
harm of trade protectionism will not only affect developing 
countries but will damage the world trade system that is ruled by 
developed countries as well. The U.S., as the biggest economic 
power, needs to protect its trade. Today it is steel and 
construction materials, tomorrow it will be textiles, and the day 
after next it will be food and pharma. Other countries will follow 
their lead and eventually, this will hurt the free market. The real 
global economy is affected by America's liberalism. And now, in 
promoting trade protectionism, America will delay the global 
economic recovery. Therefore, we can take every measure except for 
trade protectionism, which is akin and as tempting as cocaine, to 
recover the world's economy." 
 
PICCUTA