VZCZCXRO3287
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #0640 3240016
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200016Z NOV 09
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1106
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE 0343
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 000640 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, EAP/PD, IIP, PA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO KMDR PREL KIPR ETRD OVIP CH
SUBJECT: Ambassador and Commerce Secretary Receive Massive Press 
Coverage 
 
Ref: A) Guangzhou 611, B) Guangzhou 616, C) Guangzhou 619, D) 
Guangzhou 622 
 
Summary 
-------- 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: Over a billion people are believed to 
have read, watched or listened to Chinese and international media 
reports covering the Ambassador and Commerce Secretary's October 
26-27 trip to Guangzhou. While south China press -- government owned 
and operated -- is accurately regarded as less restrictive than 
elsewhere, the provincial government fought Post's efforts to 
maximize press coverage. But after difficult negotiations throughout 
the process, in the end local officials could not ignore the need to 
provide media access for high-profile visits. End summary and 
comment. 
Over One Billion Served 
----------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The statistics are gaudy -- over 100 journalists produced 
over 220 reports that covered the Ambassador and Commerce 
Secretary's two-day visit and reached an estimated Chinese audience 
of over 750 million and international audience of 300 million. 
Overall coverage was positive, focusing on both soft issues -- the 
Ambassador speaking Cantonese and Mandarin, his gentleness with 
handicapped children, the Commerce Secretary's return "home" -- to 
the sensitive: the Commerce Secretary's direct criticism of the PRC 
for inadequate enforcement of IPR. (For a complete analysis of press 
coverage, please see: 
http://china.state.gov/GZ/PAS/Weekly%20Highli ghts/2009 
 
Guangzhou: The Hard Slog on Media 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) A day before the Ambassador's arrival, it looked likely 
that the Guangdong Intellectual Property Office -- the local host 
for the IPR Forum to be attended by both the Secretary and 
Ambassador -- would deny access to all Chinese reporters that they 
had not invited as well as all international media, including CNN, 
Newsweek, Reuters, AFP and AP. Post requested intervention from the 
Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, but they remained agnostic, saying 
that the decision to grant access rested with the local host and 
that they were powerless to assist. Fighting to ensure that all 
reporters -- Chinese and international -- were granted access was 
acrimonious. 
 
By Any Means Necessary 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Copies of the Secretary's public remarks were shared with 
Post in advance, and Post released their translation as the 
Secretary delivered the actual remarks. The rush to publish most 
likely helped some of the more critical content evade censorship. 
South China's business magazine powerhouse, the 21st Century 
Business Herald, even printed the remarks in their entirety. 
 
Don't Discount New Media 
------------------------ 
¶5. (SBU) Websites developed specifically for mobile-phone users 
receive increasingly heavy traffic in China.  3g.cn alone, for 
example, attracts over 100 million visitors a day, the majority of 
whom are young, white-collar, and wealthy enough to own a smart 
phone. Post's efforts to recruit Kong.net, 3g.cn, as well as 
regional media who focus on their mobile-phone website platforms 
resulted in at least 200 million additional readers. 
 
Conclusion 
---------- 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Visitors from Washington and Beijing can expect 
press coverage during visits to south China. Post is hopeful that 
the slogging it takes to secure press access will diminish as the 
number of visitors, and the provincial government's familiarity with 
high level U.S. visitors, increases. Comment. 
GOLDBECK