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FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6525
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BEIJING 002924 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR D, EAP, EAP/CM 
PACOM FOR FPA PICCUTA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2029 
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL PGOV MNUC CH KN
IR 
SUBJECT: DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S SEPTEMBER 29, 2009 
MEETING WITH PRC VICE PRESIDENT XI JINPING 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson. Reasons 1.4 
 (b/d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) September 29, 2009; 4:45 pm; Great Hall of the 
People; Beijing 
 
¶2. (SBU) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
---- 
The Deputy Secretary 
Amb. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Embassy Beijing 
Joseph Donovan, EAP Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
State 
Rear Admiral Charles Leidig, Joint Chiefs of Staff 
Amb. Joseph DeTrani, Mission Manager for North Korea, DNI 
Amb. Sung Kim, Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks 
Derek Mitchell, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
Defense 
Pamela Park, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary 
Graham Mayer, Embassy Political Officer (notetaker) 
James Brown, Interpreter 
 
CHINA 
------ 
Vice President Xi Jinping 
Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei 
Zheng Zeguang, Director General, MFA Department of North 
American and Oceanian Affairs 
Zhang Kunsheng, Director General, MFA Department of Protocol 
Ding Xiaowen,  Deputy Director General, MFA Department of 
North American and Oceanian Affairs 
Ma Jisheng Deputy Director General, MFA Public Affairs 
Department 
 
¶3. (S) SUMMARY:  During a September 29 meeting with PRC Vice 
President Xi Jinping, the Deputy Secretary said the upcoming 
visit to China by President Obama would demonstrate U.S. 
commitment to working with China to address global 
challenges.  VP Xi said China was pleased that U.S.-China 
relations had maintained positive momentum during the 
transition to a new Administration.  This year of important 
achievements in bilateral relations would culminate in the 
visit by President Obama.  The U.S. and China had coordinated 
well on regional and global challenges, and China sought to 
develop closer practical cooperation, including in the areas 
of counterterrorism, nonproliferation and energy, Xi said. 
However, discussions of strategic security issues had to be 
conditioned on "strategic mutual trust."  For China this 
meant respecting the core PRC interests related to 
sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Taiwan, 
Tibet and Xinjiang.  The Deputy Secretary responded that the 
U.S. "one China" policy had served the U.S. very well across 
many Administrations and would continue to be a core 
principle of bilateral relations.  He stressed the importance 
of dialogue, whether U.S.-China or cross-Strait.  The U.S. 
supported positive cross-Strait developments.  Dialogue was 
also the best option for addressing the Tibet issue.  End 
Summary. 
 
China Welcomes President Obama Visit 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (S) Vice President Xi thanked the Deputy Secretary for his 
support for U.S.-China relations and noted that the November 
visit by President Obama would contribute to the growth of 
bilateral ties.  VP Xi invited the Deputy Secretary to share 
his views on bilateral relations and preparations for the 
visit. 
 
Positive Momentum in Bilateral Relations 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (S) The Deputy Secretary extended, on behalf of the 
Secretary, congratulations to China on the occasion of the 
sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the PRC.  He noted 
that this year was also the thirtieth anniversary of the 
normalization of ties between the U.S. and China and that the 
upcoming visit by President Obama would show how remarkable 
that relationship had become.  Beginning with a telephone 
 
BEIJING 00002924  002 OF 004 
 
 
conversation with President Hu Jintao shortly after taking 
office, through meetings in London, New York and Pittsburgh, 
President Obama had demonstrated the importance he attached 
to U.S.-China relations.  The Secretary's visit to China, as 
part of her first overseas trip after assuming office, also 
reflected the importance the U.S. attached to bilateral 
cooperation. 
 
POTUS Visit Presents New Opportunities 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (S) The Deputy Secretary noted that over the past thirty 
years the United States and China had realized many 
achievements.  However the last eight months had been 
particularly significant, as both counties had demonstrated 
to the world the great potential inherent in our cooperation. 
 Both Presidents had made clear that in order to tackle big 
problems, such as climate change, we had to work together. 
Our Presidents also had cooperated in averting the dangers of 
an economic crisis that had threatened the well-being of all 
our citizens.  During his visit to China, President Obama 
would further demonstrate our commitment to working with 
China to address global challenges and to showing the 
leadership necessary to help all the world's people meet 
their aspirations.  The people of the world were looking to 
the U.S. and China for leadership.  The agreements that we 
would reach and the warm relations that we would demonstrate 
during the visit would show that we were up to these 
challenges, the Deputy Secretary said. 
 
Important Year for U.S.-China Relations 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (S) Vice President Xi said this year had been a milestone 
in bilateral relations.  He noted that he had attended an 
event commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the 
normalization of diplomatic relations attended by President 
Carter and Henry Kissinger and that the U.S. participants had 
all agreed that U.S.-China ties were very important for both 
countries.  This realization, VP Xi said, showed that the 
U.S. and China were not competitors but rather partners in 
cooperation.  China was pleased that, through joint efforts, 
U.S.-China relations had maintained positive momentum during 
the transition to a new Administration.  VP Xi agreed that 
President Obama and President Hu, over the course of their 
exchanges, had reached "fresh, new common understandings." 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and National People's Congress 
(NPC) Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo had exchanged 
visits this year, further deepening exchanges between the 
legislatures.  The inaugural round of the Strategic and 
Economic Dialogue and President Obama's appointment of 
Ambassador Huntsman also demonstrated the overall growth in 
bilateral ties, VP Xi said. 
 
Common Interests Inform Cooperation 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (S) China sought to build a solid foundation for closer 
ties through practical cooperation on a range of issues, 
including counterterrorism, nonproliferation, energy, and 
people-to-people and cultural exchanges, VP Xi continued. 
The international and regional situation was very 
complicated, and we faced an array of challenges to human 
society.  Both countries had maintained good communication 
and coordination on regional hotspots including North Korea, 
Iran and South Asia, as well as on global challenges such as 
climate change and infectious disease.  Our common interests 
were the basis for the expanded cooperation, which we should 
keep "up to date" and consistent with "changes in the times," 
Xi said. 
 
¶9. (C) VP Xi said that the Chinese people, "including the man 
on the street," all had positive expectations for U.S.-China 
relations.  During his visit to New York, President Hu had 
commented to President Obama that good bilateral relations 
were important not only for the peoples of the United States 
and China, but also for the peace, prosperity and stability 
of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.  In this context, 
China looked forward to the visit of President Obama as a 
major event that would open a new page in U.S.-China 
 
BEIJING 00002924  003 OF 004 
 
 
relations.  VP Xi said he was confident that preparatory 
efforts would make the visit a success.  He added that he 
hoped the visit would be "magnificent." 
 
China's Core Interests 
---------------------- 
 
¶10. (S) China hoped to maintain solid progress in practical 
cooperation, VP Xi said, including on strategic security 
issues.  However, we would need to properly handle sensitive 
issues and cultivate "strategic mutual trust."  Both 
countries had to respect each other's core interests and 
major concerns.  For the 1.4 billion Chinese people, Xi said, 
this meant respecting China's sovereignty and territorial 
integrity, including Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang. 
 
Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang 
-------------------------- 
 
¶11. (S) The Taiwan question touched on all China's core 
interests, VP Xi said.  China hoped the United States would 
abide by the three Joint Communiques, oppose Taiwan 
independence, not support Taiwan membership in international 
organizations that required statehood for membership, not 
sell weapons to Taiwan, refrain from upgrading U.S.-Taiwan 
ties, and support the peaceful development of cross-Strait 
relations.  China hoped the U.S. would understand and respect 
how the Chinese government handled Tibet-related issues, 
including the "March 2008 incident."  China took very 
seriously the "solemn commitment" by President Obama on 
Tibet-related issues.  Referring to riots in Xinjiang, Xi 
said the "July 5 incident" had been in essence a violent 
terrorist crime orchestrated and perpetrated by separatist, 
extremist and terrorist forces inside and outside of China. 
China hoped the U.S. would respect how the PRC government 
handled this situation.  It was only when we handled 
sensitive issues properly, with attention to core interests, 
that we could build the firm ground of mutual trust that 
would sustain future cooperation, Xi concluded. 
 
One China Policy 
---------------- 
 
¶12. (S) The Deputy Secretary responded that the U.S. was 
mindful of the overall importance of dialogue.  This was true 
not only for bilateral relations with the PRC but also 
informed U.S. support for cross-Strait dialogue.  The U.S. 
supported the recent positive cross-Strait developments and 
encouraged continued thinking on how to maintain this trend. 
The Deputy Secretary emphasized that the U.S. "one China" 
policy had served the U.S. well across many Administrations 
and would continue to be a core principle of bilateral 
relations.  Dialogue was also the best option in the case of 
Tibet, the Deputy Secretary added, noting that the U.S. 
encouraged China to engage in dialogue with those speaking 
for Tibet. 
 
¶13. (S) The U.S. and China would continue to have differences 
of views, the Deputy Secretary said, and the United States 
would continue to have opinions on how China could become a 
more open and dynamic system.  However, trust and respect lay 
at the heart of good relations, and the U.S. appreciated how 
a focus on core interests could allow both countries to 
address challenges and solve disagreements.  Under this 
framework, the U.S. and China would show the world that we 
could do even more together, the Deputy Secretary said. 
 
People-to-People Ties 
--------------------- 
 
¶14. (S) The Deputy Secretary noted that he had been struck by 
VP Xi's comment on the positive views that the Chinese people 
had of the United States.  People-to-people ties were as 
important as the work of senior officials and formed the core 
of positive relations.  Both Vice President Xi and Ambassador 
Huntsman, as former governors, knew the importance of staying 
close to the people.  The Deputy Secretary expressed hope 
that President Obama's visit would be an opportunity to 
connect the people of the two countries as well as our 
governments. 
 
BEIJING 00002924  004 OF 004 
 
 
 
¶15. (S) Xi replied that he fully agreed that we had to expand 
mutual trust and exchanges at the confluence of our common 
interests.  We all remembered when, after decades of 
estrangement, renewed exchanges had allowed our peoples to 
begin to understand each other.  Xi said this brought to mind 
his first visit to the U.S. in 1985 as a county-level 
official in Hebei Province when he had visited Iowa on an 
agriculture-related exchange.  Xi said he had arrived with 
many questions and after visiting small towns and spending 
time with local families, he had departed with an objective 
understanding of the United States.  Xi remarked that he had 
been surprised that the peoples of the U.S. and China shared 
so many common interests.  He noted that, since 1985, he had 
visited the U.S. three times, twice as Fujian governor to the 
Fujian sister state of Oregon, and once to New Jersey in the 
capacity of governor of Zhejiang Province.  Xi emphasized 
that local ties were the driver of bilateral relations and he 
therefore attached great importance to people-to-people 
exchanges. 
 
¶16. (S) China hoped that continued dialogue would help the 
U.S. understand how China planned to develop itself, Xi 
continued.  On the eve of its sixtieth anniversary, China was 
evaluating its progress and welcomed advice from friendly 
countries on the basis of mutual respect.  In response to 
U.S. suggestions that China engage in dialogue on Tibet, Xi 
said, China was ready to talk to representatives of the Dalai 
Lama at any time as long as he abandoned the goal of Tibet 
independence or attempts to achieve independence through 
"disguised means." 
 
¶17. (S) The Deputy Secretary said he was pleased that Vice 
President Xi had been introduced to the U.S. in the living 
rooms of Iowa and expressed hope that Vice President Xi would 
have the opportunity to return to the United States.  The 
Deputy Secretary noted that during the inaugural S&ED 
meeting, the Secretary and State Councilor Dai Bingguo had 
remarked that the responsibility of both governments to 
future generations should be the guiding principle of the 
discussions.  As we looked forward to the visit of President 
Obama and future dialogues, this spirit should continue to 
inform bilateral ties in general, the Deputy Secretary 
concluded. 
 
¶18. (U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg has cleared this message. 
HUNTSMAN