VZCZCXRO0004
RR RUEHCN RUEHVC
DE RUEHGH #0320 1981045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171045Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL SHANGHAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8143
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE USD FAS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 8794

UNCLAS SHANGHAI 000320 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/OCEA - SZYMANSKI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI BEXP KPAO ECON CH
SUBJECT: CELEBRATING U.S. INDEPENDENCE DAY IN NANJING 
 
¶1.  Summary:  High level enthusiastic attendance at Consulate 
General Shanghai's first ever Independence Day reception in 
Nanjing July 8 provided the capstone to our intensive outreach 
efforts over the past ten months.    Senior leaders of both 
Jiangsu Province and Nanjing Municipality participated, and 
major provincial media reported the event.  As a result, we have 
not only strengthened our contact base in Nanjing but have 
gained valuable experience for similar future events outside 
Shanghai.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  On July 8 the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai hosted the 
first official U.S. Independence Day celebration in Nanjing 
since the city lost its status as the Chinese capital sixty 
years ago.  Despite some initial reluctance on the part of the 
Jiangsu Foreign Affairs Office (FA0), the turnout of senior 
officials was equal to that at our Shanghai reception, including 
Vice Governor Zhang Weiguo and Nanjing Vice Mayor Zhao Xiaojiang 
as well as representatives of the Provincial People's Congress 
and People's Political Consultative Conference.  Other attendees 
(134 total) included several university presidents or vice 
presidents, Foreign Affairs Office directors from all of 
Jiangsu's major cities, and a broad range of officials from 
various Jiangsu Provincial and Nanjing Municipal institutions. 
In addition, the Jiangsu FAO arranged for media coverage by 
Xinhua and Jiangsu TV and placed a short report on the 
provincial website. The Nanjing Municipal Government's website 
includes a short report in English as well. 
 
¶3.  In a private meeting with Jiangsu Province Vice Governor 
Zhang Weiguo, Consul General Camp recognized the benefits 
Jiangsu Province and the U.S. have shared through increased 
exchanges and expressed hopes for continued U.S.-China 
cooperation, particularly on the environmental front.  Vice 
Governor Zhang highlighted the province's prominent role in 
China's economy.  The RMB 720 billion that Jiangsu raised in 
2008 represented one-tenth of China's total fiscal revenue. 
Jiangsu's imports and exports constituted one-sixth of China's 
total foreign trade in 2008; one-fourth of the cumulative 
foreign direct investment in China in 2008 targeted Jiangsu. 
 
¶4.  Zhang expressed optimism about future U.S.-China cooperation 
in addressing the global financial crisis and working to protect 
the environment.  He cited Jiangsu's nearly RMB 12 billion 
investment in the clean-up of Lake Tai (Tai Hu), China's third 
largest freshwater lake, as a sign of his province's commitment 
to President Hu Jintao's "scientific outlook."  By creating a 
more environmentally friendly setting, Jiangsu hopes to attract 
more high-end manufacturing and service industries, including 
solar and wind power production equipment companies.  Zhang also 
expressed hopes for increased cooperation with U.S. companies in 
these areas. 
 
¶5.  After some logistical hurdles in planning the Nanjing 
reception, Consulate organizers were surprised and pleased at 
the level of enthusiasm and excitement generated.  Senior 
officials in the official delegation arrived as much as 45 
minutes before the opening of the celebration, with Vice 
Governor Zhang and Vice Mayor Zhao arriving 30 minutes early. 
Some invitees were incredulous that the event was actually being 
held in Nanjing, while some participants at the Consulate's 
earlier Shanghai reception expressed interest in traveling to 
Nanjing to take part in this historic event. 
 
¶6.  Guests at the Nanjing reception responded positively to 
Consul General Camp's remarks, which noted Nanjing's prominent 
place in the history of U.S.-China relations.  CG Camp also 
highlighted the Consulate's expanding sponsorship of cultural 
and exchange programs in Jiangsu Province, and closed her 
remarks by introducing an Independence Day video message from 
Secretary Clinton.  Attendees were enthusiastic at the 
Consulate's level of interest in increasing ties to the region, 
and expressed a commitment to future engagement and cooperation. 
 Notably, staff of the Jiangsu Foreign Affairs Office indicated 
they look forward to the arrival of Shanghai's new Nanjing 
Affairs Officer later in the year. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶7.  The success of the Nanjing reception testified to our 
efforts to expand our outreach to that city.  Although local 
foreign affairs officials clearly had reservations about the 
event when we first raised the idea with them, attendance in 
terms of numbers and rank as well as media coverage exceeded our 
expectations.  In addition, assembling the guest list and 
preparing the logistics for the event has given us not only an 
expanded consolidated contact date base for Jiangsu Province but 
also valuable experience for arranging similar outreach events 
outside Shanghai in the future. 
 
CAMP