VZCZCXRO2452
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0701 0770843
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180843Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2940
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 000701 
 
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: PAKISTAN, SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE 
 
-------------------- 
  Editorial Quotes 
-------------------- 
 
¶1. PAKISTAN 
 
"Chaotic Pakistan worries the world" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/18): "The Pakistani government has 
recently resumed the position of the Chief Judge. The former 
Premier, Sharif, has requested that the protesting cease. However, 
no one in the media believes that if the protests stopped that 
Pakistan would be peaceful. Pakistan is intensely populated, 
possesses nuclear weapons, and is at the front line of the war on 
terror. It is involved in many sophisticated conflicts. Each 
conflict has the possibility to become a fuse. China, being a 
neighbor of Pakistan, knows that any chaos in Pakistan is not a good 
thing for China. 
 
The U.S. and UK seem to be more nervous than Pakistan about this 
chaos because Pakistan is like a wall protecting them from 
terrorists. Psychologically Pakistani people are pro-U.S. - though 
they don't want to admit it. The U.S. has always adopted a practical 
policy on Pakistan. The U.S.' influence on Pakistan can't be 
ignored. However, because they are influenced by the U.S., Pakistan 
can't find a development path that is right for both the country and 
is acceptable to the world. The U.S. could support a 'holy war' to 
fight against Russia and promote the Muslim population in some areas 
of Pakistan, and at the same time suppress Islam in order to prevent 
the expansion of religious extremists in Pakistan. After this 
crisis, the U.S. may turn its support towards Sharif since he can 
provide more cooperation with the U.S. In the future, the U.S. may 
use Sharif's relations with Islamic leaders and Saudi Arabia to 
fight against the Islamic extremists." 
 
¶2. SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTES 
 
"A Cold War at sea, between the U.S. and China is unlikely" 
 
The official Communist Party international news publication Global 
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(03/18): "The incident involving the U.S. 
Navy's spy ship was obviously aimed at China. Earlier, an American 
expert on Chinese marine issues wrote a book that mentions the 
prosperous development of China's Navy, suggesting that the U.S. 
should avoid a Cold War-like conflict at sea. However, Chinese 
analysts indicate that it is unlikely that this type of conflict 
will occur. 
 
The gap between China's Navy and the U.S. Navy will not change in 
the short term. Meanwhile, it doesn't matter whether China's 
military strength is developing in an appropriate way, the U.S. 
strategy of besieging China will continue. The U.S. has increased 
its military drills and spying activities around China. This may 
increase the possibility of friction. Some U.S. military personnel, 
making use of the new Obama administration unfamiliarity with 
related issues, are trying to create incidents in order to gain 
people's sympathy as well as increase their military budget. 
Coordination systems should be established quickly in order to 
increase our bilateral communication. Both countries should maintain 
restraint, leaving space for diplomatic resolution." 
 
PICCUTA