VZCZCXRO3869
PP RUEHAST RUEHCN RUEHDH RUEHGH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
RUEHSL RUEHTM RUEHTRO RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #1945/01 1910734
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 100734Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5111
INFO RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 001945 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV CASC KGHG TRGY ENRG PREL CH
SUBJECT: EMBASSY AIR QUALITY TWEETS SAID TO "CONFUSE" CHINESE 
PUBLIC 
 
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND 
---------------------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY.  At the request of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA), ESTH Off and MED Off met on July 7 with Mr. WANG 
Shuai of MFA's Office of U.S. Affairs to respond to MFA's concerns 
about recent publicity in international and local press surrounding 
an air quality monitor installed on the Embassy compound.  MFA 
registered complaints on behalf of the Beijing Environmental 
Protection Bureau (EPB) and the Chinese Ministry of Environmental 
Protection (MEP), saying that making this data (which in their view 
"conflicts" with "official" data posted by the Beijing EPB) 
available to the general public through an Embassy-operated Twitter 
site has caused "confusion" and undesirable "social consequences" 
among the Chinese public.  MFA asked Post to consider either 
limiting access to the air quality data only to American citizens, 
or otherwise identify a suitable compromise.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) BACKGROUND:  In February 2008, Post purchased and 
installed a MetOne BAM 1020 continuous particulate monitor at the 
former Embassy compound to measure the concentration of particulate 
matter (PM) 2.5 in the area.  In August 2008 the Embassy began 
posting corresponding "real time" air quality index (AQI) numbers, 
which are generated according to definitions set by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to an Embassy-managed Twitter 
site (http://twitter.com/beijingair) on an hourly basis.  While the 
initiative originally was primarily geared toward informing the 
Embassy community about levels of pollution in immediate proximity 
to the compound, consular "no double standard" requirements prompted 
Post to create the Twitter site as a user-friendly platform so that 
private American citizens residing and traveling in Beijing are also 
able to access the data.  (NOTE: Particulates less than 2.5 
micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) are referred to as "fine" 
particulates and are widely-accepted to pose the largest risk to 
human health.  Beijing EPB currently has the capacity to collect PM 
2.5 data, but the agency only chooses to make available to the 
public data on PM 10 (10 micrometers in diameter), and links the PM 
10 data to Beijing EPB's own "Air Pollution Index (API)" 
definitions.  Beijing EPB only publishes one daily average to 
describe the previous 24-hour period and then offers a "forecast" 
for the day to come.  From a public health perspective, air quality 
data posted after the fact offers non-actionable information of 
little value to area residents, who want guidance on appropriate 
levels of outdoor physical activity on a given day.  END NOTE) 
 
¶2.  (SBU) While the existence of the Embassy's air quality Twitter 
site had become increasingly known to the American expatriate 
population living in Beijing throughout the spring, local and 
international press coverage spiked after Time Magazine published a 
story online about the Embassy's air monitor on June 19.  Since June 
19, the site's number of "followers" has increased from 
approximately 400 to the current total of 2500+, with at least 75 
percent of the new followers being Chinese (judging from the screen 
names used).  Additional press articles have appeared in the South 
China Morning Post, China Daily, and other outlets, with major local 
online forums like Sina.com ablaze with Chinese "netizens" 
commenting on this issue.  (NOTE:  The increased number of 
registered followers probably only partially reflects the new 
interest that exists among internet users in Twitter site's 
measurements.  Since the site is open also to unregistered users, or 
"non-followers," a great many more likely access the site without 
first registering as a follower. END NOTE) END BACKGROUND 
 
TWITTER'S ACCESSIBILITY MAY CAUSE "SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES" 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) It was in this context that EmbOffs were summoned to MFA 
on July 7 to listen to the Chinese government's list of complaints 
about the existence, function, and reach of the Embassy's air 
quality Twitter site.  Interlocutors appeared willing to accept the 
Embassy's stated rationale that the monitor is needed for mission 
community health purposes.  WANG Shuai of MFA's U.S. Affairs Office 
stated that MFA, nevertheless, remains unhappy that the Embassy 
decided to make the data available also to the general public via 
the Twitter site.  EmbOff explained the United States' consular "no 
double standard" regulations, which require the Embassy to share 
with American citizens any available information related to security 
and health. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Wang then wondered, if the target audience included only 
Embassy personnel, family members, and American citizens in the 
area, why the information needed to be broadcast to the general 
public and made accessible to the Chinese public as well.  He stated 
that the Embassy Twitter site had been causing unwanted "press 
fuss," and "confusion" among the Chinese public, which might lead to 
 
BEIJING 00001945  002 OF 002 
 
 
"social consequences."  Wang further commented that air quality data 
should not follow a "market-based" approach, which has resulted in 
the Chinese public now questioning "unnecessarily" the validity of 
Beijing EPB's data.  In MFA's view, Beijing EPB should be the sole 
authoritative voice for making pronouncements on Beijing's air 
quality.  He then requested that the Embassy explore ways to limit 
access to data collected from the Embassy's machine to only mission 
members and American citizens. 
 
COMPETING AIR QUALITY DATA:  "NOT FAIR" TO EPB 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5.  (SBU) According to Wang, the existence of the machine and the 
openness of the Twitter site are "not fair" to the Beijing EPB.  He 
cited that the Twitter site's consistent characterization in recent 
days of Beijing air quality as "unhealthy" or "very unhealthy" takes 
credit away from "all the progress" Beijing EPB has made in recent 
years in improving the city's air quality.  Wang added that the fact 
that the Embassy's air quality data is not based on the 
Chinese-approved standards for measuring air pollution is not only 
confusing but also insulting, citing that the U.S. government would 
be similarly incensed if the Chinese Embassy in Washington were to 
do the same.  Wang concluded by again urging that if data could not 
be limited to Americans only, the Embassy should identify a 
"compromise."  Ultimately, MFA would "hate to see" the bilateral 
environmental cooperation or even the overall relationship 
negatively "affected by this issue." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) EmbOff emphasized to MFA interlocutors that the Embassy's 
primary interest is to make the information collected by the air 
monitor as easily-accessible by Mission personnel, family members, 
and Americans residing and traveling in Beijing as possible. 
Therefore, the Embassy has no position on non-American citizens also 
having access to the data, nor is the Embassy concerned with how 
others choose to interpret the information found on the Twitter 
site.  The Embassy does, however, have a strong interest in "setting 
the record straight," and ensuring that the public understands that 
mission health has always been and remains the primary motivation 
for the program.  Furthermore, because the Embassy's monitor only 
collects data in one location, it cannot replace or negate the 
information provided by the Beijing EPB.  Finally, since the Embassy 
collects data on PM 2.5 and Beijing EPB on PM 10, and each is 
indexed differently, the two indices cannot and should not be 
compared.  Therefore, until the Beijing EPB begins publishing PM 2.5 
data (which they already have the equipment to collect) on a real 
time basis, the Embassy is not able to discontinue its program for 
monitoring PM 2.5 onsite. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Although the exchanges at the meeting became heated at 
times, EmbOffs perceived that the interlocutors were likely only 
dutifully registering disapproval on behalf of national and city 
environmental protection authorities.  EmbOffs promised to relay 
MFA's concerns to relevant sections of the Embassy to see if a 
compromise could be identified, however, Post does not feel at this 
time that MFA presented any compelling arguments to warrant drastic 
changes in or discontinuation of the Embassy's PM 2.5 monitoring 
program. 
 
GOLDBERG