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Viewing cable 07KOLKATA56, CHINA AND RUSSIA MAKING THEIR PITCH TO EAST INDIA

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KOLKATA56 2007-02-15 12:10 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Kolkata
VZCZCXRO8728
PP RUEHCI
DE RUEHCI #0056 0461149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151210Z FEB 07
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
RUEIDN/DNI WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000056 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ETRD PGOV EINV RS CH IN
SUBJECT: CHINA AND RUSSIA MAKING THEIR PITCH TO EAST INDIA 
 
 
KOLKATA 00000056  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  DEMONSTRATING GREATER CHINESE EFFORT AT 
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN EAST INDIA, ON FEBRUARY 12, FOREIGN MINISTER 
LI XHAOXING TRAVELED TO BIHAR TO INAUGURATE A NEW MEMORIAL HALL 
AT THE HISTORIC SITE OF THE ANCIENT NALANDA UNIVERSITY.  A WEEK 
EARLIER, CHINA'S AMBASSADOR TO INDIA USED THE OPENING OF A PHOTO 
EXHIBIT ON TIBET TO ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A NEW CHINESE CONSULATE 
IN KOLKATA IN 2007 AND HIGHLIGHTED A NUMBER OF CULTURAL PROGRAMS 
PLANNED FOR THE EASTERN REGION.  THE RUSSIAN'S TOO ARE SHOWING 
MORE INTEREST IN PUBLICIZING THEIR "STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP" WITH 
INDIA.  ON JANUARY 31, THE RUSSIAN CONSUL GENERAL IN KOLKATA 
HELD A LUNCHEON MEETING, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN RECENT MEMORY, 
TO SPEAK ON THE RESULTS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S 
JANUARY VISIT TO INDIA.  FOLLOWING THE PREVIOUS VISITS OF THEIR 
RESPECTIVE LEADERS TO NEW DELHI, THIS INCREASE IN PUBLIC 
OUTREACH APPARENTLY REFLECTS A GREATER EFFORT BY BOTH CHINA AND 
RUSSIA TO ENGAGE WITH INDIA BEYOND THE CONFINES OF THE DELHI 
DIPLOMATIC CIRCUIT.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) ON FEBRUARY 12, CHINESE FM LI XHAOXING INAUGURATED A 
NEWLY RENOVATED XUANZANG (HIEUN TSANG) MEMORIAL HALL AT NALANDA 
UNIVERSITY.  NALANDA IS THE SITE OF THE ANCIENT BUDDHIST 
UNIVERSITY, WHICH THE CHINESE MONK XUANZANG VISITED 1,300 YEARS 
AGO.  AN ADDED ATTRACTION IN SUPPORTING THE UNIVERSITY IS THAT 
NALANDA IS IN BIHAR STATE CHIEF MINISTER NITISH KUMAR'S 
CONSTITUENCY AND THE CM HAS BEEN SEEKING TO REVIVE IT AS A NEW, 
MODERN INSTITUTION.  TRAVELING WITH THE FM WAS A 110-MEMBER 
DELEGATION, INCLUDING CHINESE BUDDHIST MONKS WHO RECITED PRAYERS 
DURING THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY.  KUMAR HAS PREVIOUSLY RECEIVED 
COMMITMENTS OF SUPPORT FROM THE SINGAPORE AND JAPANESE 
GOVERNMENTS AND WAS HOPING ADDITIONAL CHINESE FUNDING WOULD MAKE 
NALANDA AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY CENTER. 
 
3.  (SBU) EARLIER, ON FEBRUARY 6, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO INDIA 
SUN YUXI VISITED KOLKATA TO INAUGURATE A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT ON 
TIBET.  STANDING WITH WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER BUDDHADEB 
BHATTACHARJEE, SUN ANNOUNCED THAT AS AGREED DURING PRESIDENT HU 
JINTAO'S NOVEMBER 2006 VISIT TO INDIA, INDIA AND CHINA WILL OPEN 
NEW CONSULATES ON A RECIPROCAL BASIS IN GUANGZHOU AND KOLKATA. 
THE NEW CHINESE CONSULATE WILL START OPERATION IN 2007 AND 
INITIALLY WILL BE RUN OUT OF A HOTEL UNTIL SUITABLE OFFICE SPACE 
CAN BE FOUND.  SUN SAID THAT FINANCING WAS NOT AN ISSUE AND THAT 
HE WAS MEETING MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (MEA) OFFICIALS TO 
FINALIZE DETAILS. 
 
4.  (U) THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION, "PRESENTING AUDIENCE REAL 
SITUATION OF TIBET (SIC)" WAS PART OF A SERIES OF CULTURAL 
EVENTS THAT THE CHINESE HAVE PLANNED FOR EASTERN INDIA.  THE 
EXHIBITION INCLUDED 296 PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BY 100 PHOTOGRAPHERS 
FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WHO TRAVELED 3,000 MILES THROUGH TIBET 
AND THE SHENZHEN AUTONOMOUS REGIONS BETWEEN JUNE 25 AND JULY 10, 
2006.  THE PHOTOGRAPHERS TOOK AROUND 15,000 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT 
SHOWCASED THE LANDSCAPES, PEOPLE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF TIBET. 
THE PROJECT WAS SPONSORED BY THE INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE 
CHINESE STATE COUNCIL. 
 
5.  (SBU) ANOTHER PLANNED EVENT FOR LATER IN 2007 IS A MOTOR 
RALLY FROM KOLKATA TO KUNMING IN CHINA'S SOUTHWEST YUNAN 
PROVINCE.  THE RALLY WILL USE THE STILWELL ROAD (BUILT BY THE 
U.S. ARMY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR) THAT CONNECTS THE CITY OF 
LEDO IN ASSAM TO KUNMING VIA BURMA.  SUN SAID HIS GOVERNMENT WAS 
WORKING TO REVIVE THE ROAD AND ADDED THAT THE RALLY WILL 
ESTABLISH THE SECOND ROAD CONNECTION BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA, 
FOLLOWING THE OPENING OF THE NATHU LA PASS IN 2006.  (NOTE: 
NATHU LA PASS BETWEEN SIKKIM AND TIBET HAS SEEN ONLY LIMITED 
LOCAL TRADE AS THE GOI HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO FULLY OPEN THE 
BORDER, BECAUSE OF SECURITY CONCERNS AND FEAR OF BEING SWAMPED 
BY INEXPENSIVE CHINESE CONSUMER PRODUCTS.  END NOTE.) 
 
6.  (SBU) WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER BHATTACHARJEE EXPRESSED 
SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY INDIA-CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS WERE 
EVOLVING.  AS AN OLD COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) (CPM) 
STALWART, A PARTY THAT FAVORED CHINA -- RESULTING IN THE SPLIT 
WITH THE RUSSIA-LEANING CPI, BHATTACHARJEE WAXED NOSTALGIC OF 
THE EARLY DAYS OF BONHOMIE BETWEEN INDIAN PRIME MINISTER 
JHAWARLAL NEHRU AND CHINESE PREMIERE ZHOU EN LAI, AND OF 
PANCHSHEEL AND THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT.  HE CONCEDED VAGUELY, 
"IN THE EARLY `60S, WE HAD A FEW UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS.  BUT 
THOSE DAYS ARE OVER AND I AM VERY HAPPY AT THE DIRECTION 
INDIA-CHINA BILATERAL RELATIONS IS TAKING."   REFERRING TO 
 
KOLKATA 00000056  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
INDIA'S "LOOK EAST POLICY," THE CM FURTHER REMARKED THAT HE HAS 
URGED PRIME MINISTER SINGH TO FORGE A BEIJING-NEW DELHI AXIS. 
"THE U.S. WANTS A UNIPOLAR WORLD. BUT WE CANNOT LET THAT 
HAPPEN," HE SAID. 
 
7.   (SBU) THE RUSSIANS ARE SHOWING MORE INTEREST IN PROMOTING 
THEIR MESSAGE OF THE INDO-RUSSIAN "STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP" AS 
WELL.  ON JANUARY 31, RUSSIAN CONSUL GENERAL VLADIMIR LAZAREV 
HOSTED A LUNCHEON FOR LOCAL DIPLOMATS, BUSINESS PEOPLE AND 
OFFICIALS TO HIGHLIGHT THE RESULTS OF PRESIDENT PUTIN'S JANUARY 
VISIT TO INDIAN.  LAZAREV COMMENTED THAT ASIDE FROM THE HISTORIC 
MILITARY LINKS, RUSSIA WAS VERY INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING THE 
COMMERCIAL RELATIONSHIP, NOTING THAT EVEN IN EAST INDIA THERE 
HAVE BEEN DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS A NEW URAL TRUCK FACTORY AND WORK 
ON A POWER STATION IN BIHAR.  LAZAREV'S EVENT WAS UNPRECEDENTED 
AS RUSSIAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY HAS BEEN SOLEMNENT IN RECENT YEARS. 
THE RUSSIAN CONSULATE'S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OFFICE UNTIL JUST A 
WEEK AGO HAD BEEN DISPLAYING ON ITS STREET SIDE DISPLAY BOARDS, 
OLD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS OF SOVIET VICTORIES IN WORLD WAR II 
AND HAPPY PEASANTS WORKING ON 1950`S FARM COLLECTIVES.  THOSE 
PHOTOS HAVE NOW BEEN REPLACED BY BRIGHT COLOR SHOTS OF PRESIDENT 
PUTIN WITH INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MANMOHAN SINGH. 
 
8.  (SBU) COMMENT:  THE RECENT STATE VISITS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT 
VLADIMIR PUTIN AND CHINESE PRESIDENT HU JINTAO AND THE INCREASED 
ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIA BY CHINA AND RUSSIA APPEARS TO BE 
FILTERING DOWN TO THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL IN EAST INDIA.  THE 
EFFORT AT OUTREACH IN STATES LIKE BIHAR AND WEST BENGAL, AREAS 
OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN THE DISCUSSION OF A RISING INDIA, 
DEMONSTRATES A BROADER FOCUS THAN ON THE WELL-TROD DIPLOMATIC 
CIRCUIT OF NEW DELHI.  CHINA CLEARLY HAS A STRONG STRATEGIC 
INTEREST IN CREATING A PRESENCE IN THE EAST, WHERE IT SHARES 
MUCH OF ITS BORDER WITH INDIA.  RUSSIA, IN TURN, APPARENTLY 
RECOGNIZES IT MUST DO MORE THAN COMPLACENTLY RELY ON RESIDUAL 
COLD WAR-ERA SYMPATHIES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE A STRONGER IMAGE IN 
INDIA. 
JARDINE