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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000870 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2029 
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KTEX ETRD CH SF SU ZI
SUBJECT: CHINA ASKED SOUTH AFRICA TO BAR DALAI LAMA FROM 
CONFERENCE, SAYS SOUTH AFRICAN DIPLOMAT IN BEIJING 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson.  Reasons 1. 
4 (b/d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  China had appealed to South Africa to bar 
the Dalai Lama from attending a peace conference at "this 
particularly sensitive time," a South African diplomat in 
Beijing told PolOff March 31.  While acknowledging the 
backlash had been more severe than expected, our contact said 
South Africa had made the "right decision" to avoid 
jeopardizing bilateral relations and diverting attention away 
from the 2010 World Cup.  He said China preferred to follow 
the African Union (AU) position on issues such as Zimbabwe 
and Sudan but was willing to apply pressure on Presidents 
Mugabe and Bashir for the sake of "stability."  The South 
African diplomat said China was still considering his 
country's request for China to extend its textiles export 
quotas.  End Summary. 
 
China Appealed to South Africa to Bar Dalai Lama 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶2. (C) Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had called South 
African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to urge South 
Africa not to allow the Dalai Lama to attend a peace 
conference, South African Embassy Minister Plenipotentiary 
Dave Malcomson (protect) told PolOff March 31.  He said Yang 
had argued that inviting the Dalai Lama to attend the 
conference at "this particularly sensitive time" -- two weeks 
after the 50th anniversary of the March 10, 1959 Tibetan 
uprising against PRC rule and on the eve of the newly 
observed "Serf Emancipation Day" March 28 -- would be 
"problematic" for bilateral relations.  (Note:  An MFA 
spokesperson deflected a question on whether China had 
pressed South Africa to bar the Dalai Lama from attending the 
conference, noting only that China opposed "any country 
having official contact" with the Dalai Lama.) 
 
¶3. (C) Malcomson said South African intelligence had 
information suggesting that the Dalai Lama had planned to use 
the peace conference to "kick-start his return to Tibet 
campaign" and that large-scale protests were to have been 
held at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria.  Allowing the Dalai 
Lama to use this event as a platform for his political agenda 
would have shifted the focus from the 2010 World Cup to the 
Tibetan issue.  Furthermore, having President Motlanthe share 
the stage with the Dalai Lama would have been "totally 
unacceptable to the Chinese," Malcomson said.  South 
Africa-China relations had "grown by leaps and bounds" over 
the last 10 years, and South Africa did not want the Dalai 
Lama's visit to jeopardize its relationship with China or 
call into question South Africa's commitment to the one China 
policy. 
 
¶4. (C) Malcomson said the South African government had known 
there would be a backlash and had "half-expected" the 
conference to be canceled, given Archbishop Desmond Tutu's 
strong support for the Dalai Lama.  Although he admitted that 
the severity of the backlash had been larger than expected, 
Malcomson insisted that South Africa had made the right 
decision.  He noted that the Dalai Lama had visited South 
Africa twice before without any problems and that South 
Africa had left open the possibility of a future visit at a 
"less sensitive time." 
 
¶5. (C) South African Health Minister Barbara Hogan, who 
publicly criticized the government's decision to deny entry 
to the Dalai Lama and called on her government to apologize, 
arrived in Beijing March 31 for World Health Organization 
(WHO) and bilateral meetings.  Malcomson expressed hope that 
her meetings with the Chinese would remain focused on health 
issues. 
 
China Follows the AU Position on Sudan, Zimbabwe 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶6. (C) Malcomson described China's approach to African 
conflicts such as Sudan and Zimbabwe as "wait and see what 
the AU position is and then follow the AU position."  He said 
China always sent an observer to AU summits but did not 
influence the AU's decision-making.  Once the AU had 
expressed support for the formation of a unity government in 
Zimbabwe, according to Malcomson, China had helped facilitate 
its formation by applying behind-the-scenes pressure on 
President Mugabe to share power with the opposition.  As a 
major stakeholder in Zimbabwe, China had a "core interest" in 
maintaining stability.  "A crumbling, decaying Zimbabwe is 
not in China's interests," Malcomson said.  China also had 
applied pressure on Sudanese President Bashir to agree to the 
 
BEIJING 00000870  002 OF 002 
 
 
deployment of UNAMID troops.  Although China would not 
publicize its "interference," the PRC was willing to "quietly 
pressure" other governments for the sake of "stability," 
Malcomson said. 
 
China Considering Extension of Textiles Export Quotas 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Regarding the contentious issue of Chinese textiles 
exports to South Africa, Malcomson said the Chinese Ministry 
of Commerce (MOFCOM) had not responded to South Africa's 
request to extend China's export quotas, which expired 
December 31.  China had offered South Africa funds to upgrade 
its textiles sector, but the funds had gone unused because 
South Africa's textiles industry had failed to put together 
an effective plan.  To determine whether an extension of the 
quotas was justified, MOFCOM had sent a team to study South 
Africa's textiles industry and planned to send two more teams 
in the near future.  Malcomson said the export quotas had "no 
discernible influence" on South Africa's textiles industry 
because other countries had filled the gap created by the 
quotas. 
PICCUTA