VZCZCXRO0106
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0671/01 0750555
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 160555Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2892
INFO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC 0747
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUCPDC/NOAA NMSF WASHDC
RUEANAT/NASA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/NSF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 9241
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1757
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4776
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 4508
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 4098
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3501
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 9671
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2457
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1118
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0264
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 000671 
 
STATE FOR OES/SAT, EAP/CM, ISN/MDSP AND T 
NASA/OFFICE OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS FOR A/A O'BRIEN 
TOKYO FOR NASA ATTACHE TILMAN 
INTERIOR PASS TO USGS/TIM STRYKER, BRAD REED 
USDA/FAS FOR OGA/HOUSE 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPA TSPL TPHY PREL CH
SUBJECT: China's Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application 
(CRESDA) Seeks Greater Collaboration 
 
REFS:  A) BEIJING 668 
        B) STATE 020889 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) Officials from the China Center for Resources Satellite 
Data and Application (CRESDA)--operators of the China-Brazil Earth 
Resource Satellites (CBERS)--met with ESTHCOUNS and ESTHOFFS on 
March 10 to discuss areas of potential cooperation with USG 
organizations. CRESDA proposals for collaboration included 1) 
setting up a CBERS imagery reception site in the United States; 2) 
working with U.S. satellite operators to improve CBERS data 
processing and archiving efficiency; 3) using sites in China and the 
U.S. to conduct radiometric calibration of U.S. LANDSAT and CBERS 
sensors; and 4) a remote sensing scholarly exchange.  CRESDA 
Director Dr. GUO Jianning also emphasized that unreasonably long 
wait times to secure visas to the U.S. are hindering scientific 
collaboration. 
 
CRESDA Must Vet International Agreements through CNSA 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶2.  (SBU) Following a brief introduction to CRESDA operations by 
CRESDA environmental processing expert Mr. WANG Zhigang, ESTHCOUNS 
requested details regarding which Chinese entities are ultimately 
responsible for negotiating and implementing international satellite 
data exchanges and agreements.  Guo made clear that CRESDA reports 
to not only the State Administration for Science, Technology, and 
Industry for the National Defense (SASTIND)--the organization that 
oversees the management of China's defense industries, and 
ultimately to the National Development Reform Commission (NDRC)--but 
also to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).  Guo also 
stated that cooperation is "never easy or smooth" when it comes to 
data exchanges and in CRESDA's case, CNSA would have the final say 
in any agreement between CRESDA and a USG organization. 
Nevertheless, Guo said that SASTIND Vice Minister SUN Laiyan (who 
serves concurrently as CNSA Administrator) is eager to promote CBERS 
imagery distribution world-wide. Guo also indicated that CRESDA has 
more leeway to negotiate agreements when not at a 
government-to-government level. 
 
CRESDA Proposes Four Key Areas of Collaboration 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶3.  (SBU) CRESDA's most forward-leaning proposition for cooperation 
calls for upgrading an existing U.S. ground station to receive CBERS 
imagery directly. Guo noted that CRESDA currently has agreements 
with South Africa, Spain, and Italy to outfit existing ground 
stations with CRESDA-produced black boxes that downlink CBERS 
imagery directly.  Guo said that it would be a relatively simple 
procedure and that CRESDA would be willing to upgrade a LANDSAT 
facility with the necessary equipment.  When asked if this imagery 
would be freely available to users in the  United States (as it is 
to users in China, Africa, and the Caribbean), Guo said that CRESDA 
still would be required to charge developed countries for downloaded 
images.  (NOTE:  Guo did not mention any designs to sell CBERS 
imagery on a large-scale commercial basis to "developed" markets; 
however, Post views this as a likely potential long-term goal for 
the Chinese.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Guo directly stated that CRESDA someday hopes to have 
access to U.S. technologies (currently denied to China) to improve 
the performance of China's earth observation satellites.  He noted 
that CRESDA's first ground processing system for the CBERS-1 
satellite was built by U.S. firm Hughes Network Systems in the 
mid-90s.  Following the imposition of U.S. technology transfer 
 
BEIJING 00000671  002 OF 003 
 
 
restrictions, CRESDA had been forced to develop its own, less 
efficient data processing systems.  He also underscored the point by 
noting that CBERS-3 and -4 are more than a year behind schedule 
because Brazil has been unable to procure long-lead, charged couple 
device (CCD) sensor components from the United States.  Brazil was 
responsible for developing the high-resolution imaging camera for 
these satellites and had selected the proscribed U.S. CCD 
technology, although Guo did not comment on how Brazil intended to 
move forward without these components.  Guo acknowledged that access 
to U.S. aerospace technology would be unlikely in the near-term, but 
said that he would be interested in understanding how U.S. satellite 
operators manage tasking requirements from a multitude of users, in 
order to improve CRESDA's own tasking process.  He specifically 
expressed interest in meeting with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 
officials to discuss how their Earth Resource Observation and 
Science (EROS) Center does data processing and archiving. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) ESTHOFF raised USGS' interest in using China's Dunhuang 
satellite calibration site located in the Gobi Desert.  Guo said 
that CRESDA would be interested in jointly establishing radiometric 
calibration standards for both U.S. and Chinese earth observation 
satellites and proposed cross-calibrating LANDSAT and CBERS 
satellites using the ground calibration site in White Sands, New 
Mexico and Dunhuang (in Gansu Province).  CRESDA had been working on 
a similar program with the French space agency CNES and French 
commercial satellite firm SPOT for the last four years to calibrate 
SPOT sensors using the Dunhuang site, in part to increase the number 
of SPOT imagery users in China. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Finally, Guo proposed a scholarly exchange with U.S. 
universities or possibly U.S. government organizations that would 
bring U.S. experts to work for some period of time at CRESDA.  Guo 
said that CRESDA has a similar program in place with France's CNES. 
Guo mentioned in particular a remote sensing center at the 
University of Maryland as a top choice for establishing a formal 
exchange program, although CRESDA seemed open to other possibilities 
as well. 
 
Visa Wait Times Continue to Hinder Cooperation 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶7.  (U) CRESDA also raised the issue of lengthy visa wait times 
throughout the discussion.  Guo said that he had tried to attend two 
USGS-sponsored meetings in the United States in 2007 but had been 
unable to get his visa in time.  ESTHOFF noted that the visa wait 
time for scientists subject to administrative processing continues 
to grow and is now at 16 weeks, making it extremely difficult to 
plan exchanges.  On a more positive note, ESTHCOUNS informed CRESDA 
officials of the recent decision to grant multiple entry visas with 
one-year validity, following successful completion of administrative 
processing, which would alleviate the need for return visitors to go 
through the three-plus month application process again (within one 
year)(REF B) In the event of future exchanges or meetings between 
CRESDA and USG personnel in the United States, ESTHOFF suggested 
CRESDA work closely with the Embassy to ensure that a letter of 
invitation from the sponsoring USG organization be crafted with 
meeting dates far enough out so that visa applications can be 
processed in time. 
 
CRESDA's Capabilities Set to Expand 
----------------------------------- 
¶8.  (SBU) In addition to the CBERS satellites, CRESDA also operates 
the Huanjing-1A and -1B earth observation satellites.  With plans to 
launch CBERS-3 and -4 and a third HJ satellite (HJ-1C)in the next 
two years, CRESDA has begun construction on a new facility next to 
 
BEIJING 00000671  003 OF 003 
 
 
its existing Beijing site that will be capable of processing data 
concurrently from five satellites, which would carry a variety of 
imaging sensors including visible, multi-spectral, hyper-spectral, 
and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).  CRESDA officials also noted 
that they are planning a new data reception site in Thailand that 
will be used to receive HJ data. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) ESTH officers were given a tour of the data processing 
facility and shown CRESDA's new "quick look" capability, developed 
to provide near real-time high-resolution imagery from China's HJ-1A 
and -1B satellites.  CRESDA officials said that while the HJ 
satellites are in view of a ground site, they are able to downlink 
the data, run basic image processing, and output the final pictures 
to the user within ten minutes.  CRESDA engineers are now also able 
to stitch individual images together to provide a kind of "video" 
effect, as if the user were flying over a swath of land and looking 
out a window.  CRESDA officials stated that this information can be 
transmitted directly to several Chinese government entities over 
recently-installed fiber optic lines capable of very high-data 
throughput. 
 
¶10.  (SBU) COMMENT: CRESDA officials were remarkably open regarding 
their data processing capabilities and eager to impress visiting 
Embassy officers.  It was evident during a tour of the ground 
processing facility that CRESDA officials believe they are now 
approaching capabilities comparable to the United States, with one 
Chinese official claiming that the United States and China are the 
only two countries with hyper-spectral satellite imaging 
capabilities.  Moreover, as CRESDA continues to expand its sensor 
capabilities and grow its network of data reception sites around the 
world, CRESDA will likely become a leading supplier of free 
satellite imagery products and earth observation data to Asia, 
Africa, and Latin America. END COMMENT 
 
WEINSTEIN