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Viewing cable 10JAKARTA115, CHARM INOFFENSIVE: CHINA'S STATE COUNCILOR DAI REASSURES

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
10JAKARTA115 2010-01-26 10:36 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Jakarta
VZCZCXRO7920
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #0115/01 0261036
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 261036Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4370
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBD/AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 0406
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 8971
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 0025
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2643
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3371
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 0542
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0465
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 6694
RUEHVN/AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE 0371
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6026
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 000115 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/RSP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS 
BANGKOK FOR RDM/A 
 
E.O. 12598: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ETRD PINR PHSA ASEAN XC CH ID
SUBJECT: CHARM INOFFENSIVE: CHINA'S STATE COUNCILOR DAI REASSURES 
ASEAN 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: During the first-ever visit to the ASEAN 
Secretariat (ASEC) by a high-ranking Chinese official, Chinese State 
Councilor Dai Bingguo delivered a message of Asian brotherhood and 
inclusiveness to a packed house of some 200 diplomats, ASEC staff, 
and representatives of Jakarta's Chinese business elite.  Against 
the backdrop of recent skepticism about the much-heralded 
China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), Dai's visit to Indonesia 
and hastily-arranged appearance at ASEAN were intended to reassure 
Southeast Asian governments that China would not become a regional 
colonial power and that it would seek cooperation on the basis of 
equality and mutual-benefit.  Dai contrasted China's historical 
relations with Southeast Asia favorably against the region's more 
recent experience with colonialism.  Dai downplayed the notion of 
China's rivalry with the United States, and making his trademark 
appeal to China's relative poverty, emphasized that China had 
neither the intention nor ability to eject the United States from 
Asia.  On regional architecture, Dai advised sticking to existing 
institutions and gave a nod to ASEAN centrality, which is a core 
principle for Indonesian FM Natalegawa and the GOI.  Dai referred to 
the South China Sea in all but name, and indicated that China's 
territorial disputes with some ASEAN members would be left for 
future generations to resolve.  Dai announced that China would 
establish an ASEAN Affairs section in its Embassy to Indonesia.  End 
summary. 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- 
DON'T FORGET ASEAN 
---- ---- ---- ---- 
 
2. (SBU) Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo opened his January 22 
address at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta with characteristic 
humility, noting that his ASEAN appearance was arranged one week 
prior, and that he was not sure what to talk about.  (Dai's trip to 
Jakarta was likely intended to build momentum for and forestall 
mounting skepticism about CAFTA among ASEAN countries and in 
Indonesia specifically.)  His introduction meandered between 
alternating references to Indonesia and ASEAN, during which he 
highlighted the changes that had taken place in the region in the 
last ten years.  Dai said that a zero-sum, Cold War mentality would 
be harmful to the region and suggested the need for new interaction 
based on the principle of "harmonious coexistence." 
 
---- ---- ---- 
GOOD NEIGHBOR 
---- ---- ---- 
 
3. (U) In contrast to China's reforms, increased openness, and 
economic advancements of the past decade, Dai noted that China was 
still a developing country with a low per capita GDP and enormous 
institutional challenges.  Pictures of Beijing and Shanghai did not 
provide an accurate representation of the rest of the country, 
according to Dai. 
 
4. (SBU) Dai emphasized that China, in spite of its size, is not to 
be feared, and urged the audience not to believe those who say China 
has developed or is on a par with the United States, which Dai 
predicted would take "several generations."  In contrast to "some 
big countries that have a culture of expansion and even aggression," 
Dai claimed that China had not sought hegemony even when it was "the 
most powerful country in the world with 30% of global GNP."  Dai 
alluded to the 15th Century voyages of Chinese Muslim Admiral Zheng 
He, who "brought tea and silk instead of colonialism," and who was 
still fondly remembered in Southeast Asia as an emblem of Chinese 
friendship toward its southern neighbors.  (Dai's extended allusion 
to Zheng He was certainly meant to broad-brush China's historical 
interaction as exclusively economic and beneficial, in contrast to 
Western and Japanese colonialism.) 
 
5. (U) Dai provided an iteration of China's current foreign policy 
principles, saying that China believes its future and destiny are 
linked with rest of the world.  China believes in equality among all 
nations, big and small, said Dai, and China supports each country's 
 
JAKARTA 00000115  002 OF 003 
 
 
right to choose its own development path.  Referring to China's 
troubled relations with its Southeast Asian neighbors during the 
Mao-era, Dai promised that China would never again seek to export 
revolutionary views. 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 
NOT SEEKING RIVALRY WITH U.S. 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 
 
6. (U) China would neither compete for nor seek "joint hegemony" in 
Southeast Asia, said Dai.  He noted that the United States was an 
important partner both for ASEAN countries and China, and repeated 
twice for emphasis that China had neither the intention nor ability 
to "squeeze" the United States out of Asia. Instead, said Dai, China 
wants to pursue mutually-beneficial relations and harmonious 
coexistence in the region.  Dai observed that the United States had 
become "more deeply involved" in Asia, and warned that those who 
took a cautious, "wait-and-see" approach to China could miss out on 
important opportunities. 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 
CONCRETE COOPERATION AND MORE TO COME 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 
 
7. (U) Noting that China was the first large country to sign ASEAN's 
Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and to pursue a strategic 
partnership with ASEAN, Dai highlighted cooperative, China-funded 
projects in Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.  He said that 
two-way tourism was increasing and that currently 6,000 Chinese 
teachers at 35 Confucius Institutes were teaching Chinese to up to 
50,000 citizens of ASEAN countries. 
 
8. (U) Dai praised the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade 
Agreement (CAFTA), and responded to recent grumbling in ASEAN media 
by saying that it was "natural" that all parties would have to make 
adjustments, and that such adjustments would be "fundamentally 
conducive" to improving competitiveness.  China is committed to 
maintaining close consultations with all ASEAN countries in order to 
nurture the agreement, said Dai. 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----- 
REGIONAL SECURITY AND ONE UNMENTIONABLE 
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----- 
 
9. (SBU) Dai expressed China's support for the "long-term goal" of 
an East Asian community, and noted that substantial progress toward 
regional integration in such areas as trade, finance (citing the 
Chiang Mai Initiative) and disaster relief should be credited to 
ASEAN's leading role.  Dai said China believed that regional 
architecture should be based on existing, mutually-reinforcing 
mechanisms, and that regional architecture should be open to states 
outside of East Asia and inclusive. "East Asia cannot develop in 
isolation from the world," said Dai.  (Dai's remarks on regional 
architecture were likely made partly in response to the Secretary's 
East-West Center speech, and were meant to reassure ASEAN of its 
centrality.  It is unclear if Dai's references to East Asian 
community were intended in the general sense, as distinct from the 
Japanese-proposed "East Asian Community."  If he was referring to 
the Japanese idea, his emphasis on the "long-term" nature of the 
aspiration would imply lukewarm Chinese support.) 
 
10. (SBU) Without mentioning South China Sea marine boundary 
disputes by name, Dai posited that China and ASEAN countries have 
far more common interests than differences, and that "some issues" 
with "some ASEAN countries" should not be complicated or aggravated. 
 "Even if our generation cannot solve them, we should have faith 
that our future generations will be able to solve them," Dai 
advised.   (Dai's comments appeared to signal that China has no 
interest in negotiating on the issue anytime soon.) 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- ----- 
CHINESE MISSION TO ASEAN? 
 
JAKARTA 00000115  003 OF 003 
 
 
---- ---- ---- ---- ----- 
 
11. (U) Dai said that China would give "positive consideration" to 
opening an ASEAN Mission, and would start by setting up an ASEAN 
Affairs Section in its Embassy to Indonesia. 
 
12. (U) This message is from the Resident Representative of the 
Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs. 
 
HUME