US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE3177

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2014 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, MARR, PARM, CH, NL, EUN 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/EU/CHINA: CHINA SUMMIT CONTENT STILL 
UNDER NEGOTIATION 
 
REF: THE HAGUE 3166 
 
Classified By: POL Counselor Andrew Schofer for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: With just over one working day left before 
the EU-China Summit, the Dutch are still in negotiations with 
the Chinese regarding content of an EU-China Joint Statement, 
including what if anything will come of talk about a Chinese 
"gesture" on human rights as part of a package for a possible 
signal from the EU on its China Arms Embargo.  The Dutch are 
"hoping" a Statement will be agreed upon, but claim they are 
"not bending over" for the Chinese.  The China Summit will 
follow the same agenda as previous summits, with a two-hour 
plenary session, signing ceremony, news conference, working 
lunch, formal dinner, and day-two Business Summit.  The 
Chinese will hold a ministerial-level bilat with the Dutch, 
pay a "working visit" to European aerospace company Estec and 
have an audience with Queen Beatrix.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) The Hague will host the annual EU-China Summit on 
Wednesday, December 8.  EU Representatives will include Dutch 
PM Jan Peter Balkenende and FM Bernard Bot for the Dutch 
Presidency, European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao 
Barroso, EU High Rep Javier Solana, and European Commissioner 
for External Affairs Benita Ferrero-Waldner.  Premier Wen 
Jiabao will lead the Chinese delegation. 
 
Agenda Follows Previous Formats, Topics Still Contentious 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
3. (C) Poloff spoke with China Desk officer and Deputy Head 
of East Asia Division Gerrie Willems on November 23 and 
December 6 about Dutch expectations for the event.  The 
EU-China Summit will pack several substantive meetings and a 
few ceremonial events into two days' time, cut shorter by a 
mix of consecutive and simultaneous interpretation.  The 
two-hour plenary session will feature the usual political 
topics such as recent developments in the EU and China, 
special interest issues including the EU China Arms Embargo, 
Taiwan, nonproliferation, and human rights, and economic 
issues such as Trade, WTO, Market Economy Status, and 
sectoral dialogues already in place.  Political issues will 
include two new agreements: a Framework Agreement to replace 
the Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement of 1985, and 
slow but continuing efforts toward an EU-China Readmissions 
Agreement.  At Chinese request, the agenda will include 
discussion of the EU China Arms Embargo (see reftel for GoNL 
Comments on this issue).  Also at China,s initiative, the 
agenda will include discussion of Taiwan; Willems expected 
the EU to give reassurance of its adherence to a one-China 
policy and state its expectation that tensions between China 
and Taiwan can be resolved through peaceful dialogue.  At the 
EU,s initiative, the agenda will include discussion of how 
to improve cooperation between EU and China on 
non-proliferation issues, as well as further discussion of 
human rights.  Any "particularly difficult" topics left over 
from the plenary discussion will be moved to the working 
lunch agenda to be discussed alongside regional/international 
issues "of mutual interest" such as North Korea, Afghanistan, 
Iran, and Burma.  On December 6, Willems confirmed these four 
countries were still under discussion for inclusion in the 
agenda, but had not yet been finally agreed upon. 
 
Human Rights 
------------ 
 
4. (C) With regard to human rights, Willems expected the EU 
to outline its conclusions about the Human Rights Dialogue 
Evaluation, finding that while overall China has made some 
limited progress during the period of the dialogue, much more 
remains to be done and the dialogue should continue.  Human 
rights discussion will also cover EU areas of concern 
including the death penalty, religious freedom, political 
prisoners, and Tibet.  Willems stated that she could not be 
certain whether China would make a human rights gesture 
before or during the Summit.  Willems said that while 
pressure has been mounting on China within the framework of 
the Arms Embargo discussion, she emphasized that there is "no 
formal link" between human rights and the arms embargo, but 
that China has been made to understand that it "would be very 
helpful."  She noted possible gestures might include a 
timetable for ratification of the International Covenant on 
Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), releasing Tiananmen 
prisoners, etc, but said she "hadn't seen too much yet" from 
the Chinese on this.  She observed that while the Chinese are 
traditionally averse to outside pressure, they have been 
increasingly adjusting to "more western ways" of talking and 
negotiating.  She continued to believe that "anything could 
happen" at or before the Summit.  On December 6, Willems 
maintained that discussions were still under way, and such a 
gesture was "still on the table." 
 
Signing Ceremony and Joint Statement 
------------------------------------ 
5. (C) Following the morning plenary session, but preceeding 
the working lunch, the Dutch will host a signing ceremony and 
press conference.  Sectoral agreements will include a Customs 
cooperation agreement to be signed, a Renewed Science and 
Technology Agreement to be initialed, and a Euratom Agreement 
on peaceful use of nuclear research to be initialed.  Willems 
noted on December 6 that the Euratom agreement is still on 
the table pending "unclear Chinese coordination."  Financing 
agreements/projects will include a social security reform 
project to be signed, an EU-China Managers Exchange and 
Training Programme to be signed, and an EU-China Information 
Society to be signed.  Announcement will be made of an 
employment dialogue to be initiated, a dialogue on 
macroeconomic/financial sector issues to be initiated, and a 
Joint Declaration on Non-proliferation will be signed. 
Willems revealed November 23 that the Dutch were in 
discussion with the Chinese regarding an EU-China Joint 
Statement to be released on the day of the Summit.  On 
December 6, the contents of that statement were still under 
discussion. 
 
Dutch-Chinese Official Visit 
---------------------------- 
 
6. (C) On the afternoon of December 8, non-Dutch EU 
participants will take a break in order to allow the Dutch 
and Chinese a one-hour ministerial-level "official" visit. 
Topics to be covered at the one-hour meeting (which will have 
consecutive interpretation) may include as time permits: 
Chinese PM,s presentation about economic developments in 
China, agriculture cooperation, health issues, education, 
water management, economics and trade, science and 
technology.  Dutch PM Balkenende will host a formal dinner on 
the evening of the 8th. 
 
EU-China Business Summit 
------------------------ 
 
7. (SBU) On December 9, the EU-China Business Summit will 
gather an expected hundred and fifty Chinese entrepreneurs 
and five hundred European entrepreneurs under the theme 
"Translating Cooperation into Mutual Benefit."   In the 
morning plenary session, major themes like market access, 
industrial cooperation and corporate governance will be 
discussed.  In the afternoon, participants will break into 
small sessions focused on Consumer Market Issues, Industrial 
Cooperation, and Financial Services.  The ministers will 
attend the first hour of the Business Summit, after which 
time they will break away for a working visit to the European 
aerospace company Estec in Noordwijk and an audience with 
Queen Beatrix.  The Business Summit will conclude with an ABN 
AMRO - hosted "dragon cocktail" networking event.  On the 
evening of December 9, the Chinese delegation will depart for 
Beijing. 
RUSSEL