US embassy cable - 93BEIJING13058

UNCLAS BEIJING 013058 
 
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 
 
 
DEPT ALSO PASS NSC - WEIDEMANN 
 
THIS IS CHENGDU 0768 
QUOTE: 
 
E.O. 12356: N/A 
TAGS:  PGOV, PREL, PHUM, CH 
SUBJECT:  TIBET:  POLITBURO MEMBER HU JINTAO RETAINS TIBET TIES 
 
1.  A PUBLISHED DELEGATE LIST FOR THE RECENT NATIONAL 
PEOPLE'S CONGRESS LISTED POLITBURO STANDING COMMITTEE 
MEMBER HU JINTAO AS A DELEGATE REPRESENTING THE TIBET 
AUTONOMOUS REGION.  HU WAS REPLACED AS TAR PARTY 
SECRETARY ON DECEMBER 1, 1992 AND HAS NOT RESIDED IN 
TIBET FOR AT LEAST 18 MONTHS.  WITH HIS ELECTION TO 
THE POLITBURO LAST FALL AND HIS REPLACEMENT AS TAR 
SECRETARY, WE THOUGHT HIS DIRECT TIBET INVOLVEMENT 
HAD ENDED, BUT THIS IS APPARENTLY NOT TRUE. 
/ 
2.  THE TIBET DAILY LISTED HU JINTAO AMONG THE 17 
TIBET DELEGATES (THE PEOPLE'S DAILY GAVE THE DELEGATE 
COUNT AS 19) TO THE NPC.  THE TIBET DAILY, REPORTING 
A MARCH 16 MEETING BETWEEN THE DELEGATION AND JIANG 
ZEMIN, IDENTIFIED CURRENT TAR PARTY SECRETARY CHEN 
KUIYUAN AS DELEGATION LEADER, BUT MENTIONED THAT HU 
JINTAO PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING AS A TAR DELEGATE. 
THE PEOPLE'S DAILY ACCOUNT OF THE MEETING SAID HU 
JINTAO BRIEFED JIANG ZEMIN ON TIBET CONDITIONS. 
/ 
3.  CONGENOFF RECENTLY ASKED A DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF 
THE TAR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OFFICE DURING A VISIT TO 
LHASA WHY HU JINTAO, WHOSE SEPARATION FROM TIBET 
AFFAIRS HAS LONG BEEN COMPLETE IN PHYSICAL TERMS 
AND WAS RECENTLY SEVERED IN OFFICIAL  TERMS, WAS 
ON THE TAR DELEGATION TO THE NPC.  WE WERE TOLD 
THAT HU, DUE TO HIS LONG EXPERIENCE IN TIBETAN 
AFFAIRS, WAS ESPECIALLY QUALIFIED TO REPRESENT TAR 
INTERESTS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. 
/ 
4.  COMMENT:  IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE TIBET CONNECTION 
FOR HU JINTAO WILL LINGER ON DESPITE HIS ELEVATION TO 
THE POLITBURO STANDING COMMITTEE.  WE SUSPECT THAT 
HIS EXPERTISE WILL GIVE HIM THE PRIMARY VOICE IN 
TIBET POLICY AMONG THE LEADERSHIP.  END COMMENT. 
 
CAMP 
 
UNQUOTE 
 
 
ROY