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Viewing cable 09BEIJING1822, 2009 U.S.-CHINA DEFENSE CONSULTATIVE TALKS (DC),
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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09BEIJING1822 | 2009-07-01 00:43 | 2011-08-30 01:44 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Beijing |
O 010043Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4937
INFO CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
NSC WASHDC
AIT TAIPEI 7329
CIA WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
DIA WASHINGTON DC
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 001822
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, ISN. JOINT STAFF FOR J5
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2034
TAGS: PREL PARM MOPS CH TW
SUBJECT: 2009 U.S.-CHINA DEFENSE CONSULTATIVE TALKS (DC),
SESSION 2: MARITIME SAFETY AND SECURITY
Classified By: Classified by ADCM William Weinstein. Reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
Summary
-------
¶1. (C) The U.S. policy of conducting surveillance in China's
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) reflects a Cold War mentality
and should be stopped, the People's Liberation Army (PLA)
delegation maintained during the second session of Defense
Consultative Talks (DCT) June 23, 2009. U.S. surveillance
activities undermine strategic trust, have a negative
environmental impact, and have caused indignation amongst
Chinese people and service personnel, the delegation
insisted. The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement
(MMCA) is an important mechanism for solving disputes at sea
diplomatically, and the PLA promised to provide a "positive
proposal" in advance of a special MMCA session in July. The
U.S. delegation replied that U.S. survey activities in
international waters are in keeping with customary
international laws and UN conventions, and the overall
military-to-military relationship should not be held hostage
to maritime disputes. The U.S. delegation reaffirmed the
importance of the MMCA and likewise welcomed further dialogue
on the topic. End Summary.
PLA Perspectives on U.S. Surveillance Activity
--------------------------------------------- -
¶2. (C) The U.S. policy of conducting close-range
surveillance in China's EEZ and airspace are a means of
guarding against and containing China, and reflect a Cold War
mentality, Rear Admiral Yi Changzhi, PLA Navy Deputy Chief of
Staff, told the U.S. delegation. While the policy might
provide the United States a modicum of deterrence due to the
forward deployment of forces it enables, overall the net
effect is negative, owing to the hostility it generates among
the Chinese people and the increased risk of incidents, RADM
Yi concluded.
¶3. (C) Furthermore, U.S. reconnaissance activities undermine
strategic trust between the United States and China, RADM Yi
continued. In recent years, U.S. air and sea vessels have
increased the frequency, intensity and range of surveillance
activities, and this constant surveillance makes China "feel
insecure," he maintained. RADM Yi noted that the United
States and China are not at war nor are there tensions in the
bilateral relationship or across the Taiwan Strait, and yet
U.S. reconnaissance ships continue to enter PRC waters almost
daily. This surveillance lacks tactical significance, RADM
Yi insisted, and signals U.S. hostility towards China.
Surveillance makes future bilateral relations uncertain, he
continued. Noting that the United States has encouraged
China to increase military transparency, RADM Yi stated that
China can not do so while the United States continues to
attempt to collect intelligence against it.
¶4. (C) U.S. reconnaissance activities in China's EEZ
infringe on China's maritime rights and interests by damaging
the environment and impacting the fishing industry, RADM Yi
insisted. A recent report by the PRC Ministry of Fisheries
demonstrated that high-intensity sound waves from U.S. sonar
were the primary cause of damage to the ecology and
environment in China's EEZ, he declared. He noted that some
ocean mammals sense their surroundings by using sonar, and
that U.S. high-intensity sonar poses a threat to them.
Likewise, U.S. sonar decreases the ability of some fish to
catch prey, RADM Yi maintained. He observed that on August
6, 2007, a U.S. judge ruled that the use of high-intensity
sonar is "unacceptable" off the coast of California, and that
the U.S. Navy is no longer conducting anti-submarine training
off of Hawaii to avoid potential lawsuits. From the
standpoint of protecting China's maritime environment and
fishing industry, it is indisputable that PRC law allows for
measures to be taken against ships operating in its EEZ, RADM
Yi avowed. Later in the dialogue, Lieutenant General Ma
Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the PLA General Staff,
re-emphasized the environmental impact of surveillance on
fishing and economic activity, urging the United States to
"reflect on the impact" of its policies.
¶5. (C) Additionally, the frequency of U.S. surveillance
activities directed against China has triggered indignation
among China's people and servicemen that is not conducive to
the development of bilateral or military-to-military
relations, RADM Yi maintained. Continued surveillance has
also increased the risk of incidents at sea and should be
stopped, he declared.
¶6. (C) Since its signing, the U.S.-China Military Maritime
Consultative Agreement (MMCA) has played an important role in
solving issues of military maritime security, RADM Yi
affirmed. China looks forward to further dialogue on the
modification of the agreement at a special MMCA meeting to be
held in late July, he continued. In response, Brigadier
General William Uhle, PACOM Deputy J5, noted that the
operational safety of sea vessels in close proximity is one
of the United States' highest priorities. The U.S. supports
the MMCA as a mechanism for solving disputes diplomatically,
and looks forward to dialogue on proposed revisions to the
MMCA charter, he said. The United States awaits PRC input so
that the two sides can deepen dialogue and reach agreement,
Brig Gen Uhle continued. LTG Ma replied that the PLA also
looks forward to the special MMCA session, and would present
a "positive proposal" to the U.S.
¶7. (C) The two sides should conduct further dialogue on how
the United States can exercise its right of navigation, LTG
Ma suggested. He noted that "not all" of the incidents at
sea were "designed" by China, suggesting many were accidents
or mistakes. While increased safety measures are important,
LTG Ma conceded, it is equally important to decrease the
frequency and intensity of surveillance, as doing so would
decrease the probability of an incident. He noted that
maritime incidents have occurred previously, citing a
collision between British and French submarines and one
involving a U.S. submarine and supply ship. During the Cold
War, U.S. and Soviet submarines collided more than once, LTG
Ma recalled. LTG Ma urged both sides to take measures to
prevent such occurrences in the future.
U.S. Response: Surveillance is Legal
------------------------------------
¶8. (C) In response, Michele Flournoy, Under Secretary of
Defense for Policy (USDP), reminded the PLA that U.S. survey
activities in international waters were within the bounds of
customary international law and the UN Convention on Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS). The U.S. also maintained that disputes
should be settled through diplomatic channels and not through
threatening actions that endanger the lives and safety of
U.S. seafarers. She explained that the United States would
continue to exercise its navigation rights under
international law, adding that the United States agreed that
the MMCA has played an important role in the past and hoped
that it could continue to do so in the future. In response,
LTG Ma insisted that U.S. surveillance activities have
increased in number and frequency off the coast of China to
the point that the number of surveillance missions around
China is greater than anywhere else in the world -- greater
even than those conducted against the former Soviet Union
during the Cold War. Such surveillance activities are due to
a lack of mutual trust, he declared.
¶9. (C) President Obama wants to create a positive,
cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China,
Michael Schiffer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
(DASD) for East Asia said, adding that the United States and
China have many shared interests. The United States notes
and appreciates the reduction in tension in maritime issues,
and Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, was
pleased with his visit to China for the International Fleet
Review and 60th anniversary of the PLA Navy in April, DASD
Schiffer acknowledged. It is a positive sign that no
PRC-flagged fishing vessels have harassed U.S. survey ships
in recent weeks, and a testament that the two sides could
work through these issues in an efficient manner, he
suggested. It is also important that differing legal
interpretations not affect safety at sea, nor should either
country allow maritime disputes to escalate or hold the
overall bilateral relationship hostage to unfortunate and
avoidable incidents, DASD Schiffer maintained. At a time
when overall relations are improving, it would be unfortunate
to have one incident overwhelm positive progress, he added.
When incidents do occur, it is important that they be handled
through diplomatic channels so as not to endanger the lives
and safety of seafarers on both sides.
¶10. (C) USDP noted the importance of further deepening the
dialogue through the MMCA mechanism, as neither side could
afford miscalculations. LTG Ma responded that the PLA also
has the right of navigation under international law, which is
why the two sides share common responsibilities.
¶11. (U) U.S. Participants:
Michele Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USDP)
Dan Piccuta, Charge d'Affaires
Michael Schiffer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
(DASD) for East Asia
David Shear, EAP/CM, Department of State
Brig Gen Joseph Callahan, Deputy Director for
Politico-Military Affairs - Asia, Joint Staff J5
Brig Gen William Uhle, USPACOM Deputy J5
RDML Bradley Gerhrke, U.S. Defense Attache in Beijing
John Plumb, OSD Principal Director for Nuclear and Missile
Defense Policy
Craig Mullaney, OSD Principal Director for Central Asia
Robert Gromoll Acting Director for Regional Affairs ISN,
Department of State
¶12. (U) PRC Participants
Lieutenant General Ma Xiaotian, Deputy Chief of the PLA
General Staff
Major General Qian Lihua, Director, Ministry of National
Defense Foreign Affairs Office (MND/FAO)
Major General Yang Hui, Director, Intelligence Department,
PLA General Staff Department
Rear Admiral Yi Changzhi, Deputy Chief of Staff, PLA Navy
Major General Zhu Chenghu, Director, Department of
International Strategic Studies, PLA National Defense
University (NDU)
Senior Captain Guan Youfei, Deputy Director, MND/FAO
Senior Colonel Wang Kebin, Deputy Director, Operations
Department, PLA General Staff Department
Major General Zhao Ning, PRC Defense Attache in Washington
Senior Captain Li Ji, Director, North American and Oceania
Bureau, MND/FAO
Councilor Ma Zhanwu, North American and Oceania Affairs, MFA
Lieutenant Colonel Chu Weiwei, Interpreter, MND/FAO
¶13. (U) USDP has cleared this cable.
GOLDBERG