VZCZCXRO8841
RR RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHGH RUEHPB RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1362/01 1401046
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201046Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4088
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001362 
 
HHS FOR OGHA 
CDC ATLANTA FOR CCID, AND PASS TO FLU COX AND MOUNTS AND 
COGH BLOUNT AND KELLEY 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL PINR
AMGT, MG, EAGR, HHS, TF, CH 
SUBJECT:  TFFLU01: H1N1 INFLUENZA OUTBREAK - CHINA SITREP # 15 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 1352 B) BEIJING 1335 C) BEIJING 1317    D) BEIJING 
1298     E) BEIJING 1283     F) BEIJING 1274     G) BEIJING 1264 
 
 
 
H1N1 CASES AND STATUS OF AMCIT QUARANTINE CASES 
--------------------------- ------------------- 
 
¶1.  (U) China's Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on May 20 that 
the suspected case in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) was 
not/not influenza A (H1N1), but was seasonal influenza H3. As of May 
20, there are four confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) on Mainland 
China (REF A, B, E and G). Hong Kong also has three confirmed cases 
of influenza A (H1N1). 
 
¶2. (SBU) As of May 20, four American citizens are reported to be in 
quarantine throughout China. MOH declared the suspected case in the 
TAR to be not/not A (H1N1), and asked the local health authorities 
to release the rest of the group in Zhangmu from quarantine, 
including the six AmCits (REF A). Two AmCits are quarantined in 
Beijing at Ditan Hospital, a third is in Shanghai, and the fourth is 
in Guangzhou. 
 
 
DISRUPTIONS TO DELEGATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA 
------------ ---------------------- ----------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Although the MFA has continued to deny any official changes 
in visa policies or travel bans, several USG agencies, U.S. host 
institutions and other private organization have reported that their 
Chinese counterparts have postponed or cancelled meetings, visits 
and events due to concern over the H1N1 virus. Chinese groups of 
agencies have cancelled their own visits to the U.S., rescinded 
invitations to visiting U.S. delegations and cancelled or 
indefinitely postponed joint and U.S.-funded workshops and training 
programs. Two Chinese delegations that recently traveled to the U.S. 
have reportedly been quarantined upon their return. 
 
--A group of 20 provincial and Ministry of Human Resources and 
Social Security (MOHRSS) officials was to participate in a June 6-27 
DOS-funded exchange program on "Strengthening Governance through 
Enhanced Public Administration" in the United States. Renmin 
University (the program is being jointly implemented by Michigan 
State University and Renmin University) informed Michigan State that 
the program will have to be delayed due to Chinese Government 
concerns related to H1N1, and indicated that "an informal notice on 
postponing all out-bound training has been released within the 
government." 
 
--Beijing ESTHOFF reports at least three delegations or meetings 
cancelled due to H1N1 Chinese concerns. These include a USAF/State 
delegation to discuss satellite navigation issues with the China 
Satellite Navigation Applications Center and a NASA-CNSA Working 
Group Meeting, both of which have been postponed to an unspecified 
future date. A NASA/Academia-Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) space 
surveillance technical exchange in Shanghai is also likely to be 
postponed. 
 
--According to the Beijing NSF Director, an NSF-National Natural 
Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Math Delegation was cancelled 
last week at the request of NSFC, and President LU Yongxiang of CAS 
cancelled his visit to Washington in mid-May. In both cases, H1N1 
was cited as the reason for the cancellations. 
 
--Beijing NIH/NIAID reports that a grants management training 
workshop planned for June 9-11 has been postponed at MOH's request. 
While the attendees would be primarily Chinese scientists, the 
trainers would all come from the United States. A CAS/NIH Joint 
Workshop on Environmental Pollutants and Cancer scheduled for the 
end of May was also postponed. 
 
--Xinzheng City Government's Emergency Command Center for the 
 
BEIJING 00001362  002 OF 002 
 
 
Prevention and Control of the H1N1 Virus, with the approval of the 
Zhengzhou Municipal Government (Henan Province), asked SIAS 
International University to postpone or cancel its Tenth Anniversary 
Celebration, citing the number of H1N1 cases in the United States, 
the "severity and urgency of this situation", and the need "to 
protect the health of the masses". SIAS is a private American-owned 
university set up in Henan in affiliation with Zhengzhou University 
and in cooperation with Fort Hays State University of Kansas. 
 
--Amcits have complained to ConGen Shenyang that the Anshan 
Educational Bureau in Liaoning Province unilaterally cancelled their 
Chinese Language and Cultural Immersion Program due to concerns over 
H1N1. 
 
-- A Chinese State Forestry Administration delegation to the U.S. 
was informed that upon arrival back to China, due to H1N1 concerns, 
they should remain in home quarantine for one week. The delegation 
also reported to their U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts that 
they were told that future delegations to the U.S. would be 
suspended until further notice. Another group of Chinese officials 
were also quarantined upon their return from the U.S. to Hainan (REF 
A). 
 
¶4. (SBU) Beijing NIV data show that applications for visitor visas 
for official government travel to the United States have dropped 
drastically so far in May, likely due to H1N1 restrictions.  While a 
year-on-year comparison of monthly visa applications demonstrates 
that official delegation travel to the U.S. has been down thus far 
in 2009, probably due to the economic downturn and other internal 
Chinese government policies (the decline in applications from 2008 
to 2009 was 14 percent for March and 12 percent for April), the data 
show a 40 percent drop in official government applications for 
comparable periods in May 2008 and May 2009.  This is a much larger 
decline than the overall year-on-year drop in B1B2 visitor 
applications for the same period (6 percent).  Since official 
government travel to the United States in May 2008 was already down 
sharply after the Sichuan earthquake, the decline from 2008 to 2009 
for the month of May so far may be even larger than the data would 
indicate. 
 
 
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS URGE RETURNING STUDENTS TO HOME QUARANTINE 
------------------------ --------------------------- ------- 
 
¶5. (U) According to press reports, Guangzhou Health Bureau Vice 
Director General TANG Xiaoping urged overseas students not to return 
to China, but if they did, requested them to remain at home for a 
self-imposed quarantine for several days after arrival. Chongqing 
CDC has made a similar recommendation that overseas students 
returning to China stay at home for a self-imposed, seven-day 
quarantine. Angry web chatter directed against the three confirmed 
H1N1 cases who are returned overseas students has called on the 
Chinese Government to ban overseas students from returning to China 
while H1N1 is still a problem (REF A). 
 
 
WEINSTEIN