VZCZCXRO9581
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0458 0540929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230929Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2452
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 000458 
 
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, TAIWAN 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT 
 
a. "The bottom line and the height of Secretary Clinton's 'trial' 
visit" 
 
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication 
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/23): "In view 
of the continuous efforts by the Bush administration on these 
issues; people believe that Secretary Clinton's visit to China will 
further improve U.S.-China diplomatic relations. The core issue of 
her visit was whether or not the U.S. and China would be able to 
find the space to cooperate on major issues concerning their central 
interests. It is the common view that the bilateral relations are 
important. But among the various important issues, the selection of 
which to emphasize will make a difference. How Secretary Clinton 
will coordinate these issues in the Department of State will also 
influence the height of U.S.-China relations in the future. In the 
next four years, the U.S. -China relationship will not be rewritten 
however, how the relationship turns out will still be evaluated 
according to its development." 
 
b. "Secretary Clinton avoids talking about China's human rights 
issues" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/23): "The subtle change in the new U.S. 
government's expressions concerning China's human rights issues is 
igniting a reaction in the West. Western media indicate that the 
U.S.' attitude on China is being softened. It is hard to judge 
whether the time where the U.S. 'points at China and teaches it a 
lesson' has passed. Chinese experts think that the latest stance, 
noted by Secretary Clinton, is very practical. This stance is a good 
one for other countries to imitate. Chinese experts indicate that 
being practical on China is the correct choice to make for the U.S. 
It shows that the leverage power between the U.S. and China is 
substantially changing because, nowadays, more and more issues 
require U.S.-China cooperation. Comparatively, human rights issues 
have become less important. However, the human rights issues still 
exist. The U.S. is currently restricted by external factors. As VOA 
reported, the bilateral relationship has moved from long-term 
confrontation to practical cooperation." 
 
¶2. TAIWAN 
 
"The U.S. will not interfere with cross straight military 
exchanges" 
 
The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication 
International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/23): "Recently, 
the U.S. has made vague expressions concerning possible military 
dialogues about the mainland and Taiwan. The U.S. Pacific commander 
mentioned that he is willing to invite the Taiwanian and mainland 
military to Hawaii in order to talk. However, when Taiwan inquired 
about the meaning of such an expression, the Pentagon denied the 
invitation. In fact not attending cross-Strait dialogue doesn't mean 
the U.S. doesn't care about the cross-Strait peace process. 
Attending the dialogue is just a forum. At the same time, Secretary 
Clinton has expressed that the U.S. stance on Taiwan has not 
changed.  The U.S. still supports 'no war, & no unification' on 
Taiwan issue. Currently, the cross-Strait relations are based on 
economic interests. There are still obstacles to military trust. The 
U.S. is waiting and watching for any further developments." 
 
PICCUTA