VZCZCXRO0601
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2884 2880924
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 150924Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6460
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3610

UNCLAS BEIJING 002884 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER PARM CH IR AF UK
 
SUBJECT: OCTOBER 15 MFA PRESS BRIEFING:  CHINA-IRAN RELATIONS, SCO 
DISCUSSIONS ON AFGHANISTAN, ASIA-PACIFIC COOPERATION 
 
¶1. Key points at the October 15 MFA press briefing: 
 
-- PM Wen Jiabao met with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza 
Rahimi at the October 14 SCO Prime Minister's meeting.  The MFA 
spokesperson stated that "China values its relationship with Iran," 
seeks to advance "cooperation and coordination in international 
affairs" with Iran and is "committed to settling the Iranian nuclear 
issue." 
 
--Afghanistan had been a topic of multilateral and bilateral 
meetings at the SCO meeting. 
 
--China was "ready to work with the United States to strengthen 
cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs." 
 
-- Egypt will host the fourth ministerial forum on China-Africa 
cooperation in early November. 
 
China-Iran Relations 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  At the October 15 session of the regularly scheduled Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs press conference, spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu said 
Premier Wen Jiabao met with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad 
Reza Rahimi on October 14 at the Eighth Shanghai Cooperation 
Organization (SCO) Prime Minister's meeting.  According to Ma, Wen 
told Rahimi that "Sino-Iranian relations were in good shape" as 
evidenced by the "frequency of high-level visits" and cooperation on 
a wide range of issues.  "China values its relationship with Iran" 
and is ready to maintain contact to develop mutual trust" and 
advance "cooperation and coordination in international affairs," Ma 
said.  China is also "committed to settling the Iranian nuclear 
issue."  Rahimi congratulated China on holding a successful SCO 
meeting and said that Iran valued friendly relations with China and 
that improved relations is the common aspiration of the Iranian and 
Chinese peoples, Ma said. 
 
 
SCO Discussions on Afghanistan 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3.  Ma said that China, and other Shanghai Cooperation Organization 
(SCO) member states, are following the situation in Afghanistan 
closely.  SCO member states have made contributions to Afghanistan 
"in their own ways" and, for its part, China hopes that Afghanistan 
will be able to achieve peace and stability "at an early date."   Ma 
said the situation in Afghanistan was discussed in multilateral and 
bilateral fora during the SCO meeting but did not offer any specific 
information the meetings or on developments in Afghanistan. 
 
China-Africa Ministerial 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  Ma said Egypt would host the fourth ministerial forum on 
China-Africa cooperation in early November.  The meeting would 
review and follow-up on action items from the Beijing summit and 
"map out cooperation" for the next three years to "promote 
China-Africa relations across a broad range of issues."  Egypt would 
serve as the president for the meeting and China would serve as 
co-president.  China was "working with relevant nations" to prepare 
for the meeting, Ma said, adding that China hopes to "cooperate with 
the African community" to implement the Beijing consensus. 
 
Asia-Pacific Architecture 
------------------------- 
 
¶5.  Asked about the role of the U.S. in regional architecture, Ma 
replied that regional cooperation is a product of economic 
globalization, economic integration and the geography of the 
Asia-Pacific region.  Asia-Pacific cooperation is "multi-tiered and 
complimentary" and China is "ready to work with the United States to 
strengthen cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs." 
 
 
Follow-up on A/S Campbell Visit 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Asked whether Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell had 
invited China to send officials to Washington D.C. to discuss 
Afghanistan, and Ma said he was unaware of such an invitation. 
 
 
HUNTSMAN