US embassy cable - 98BEIJING18771

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 018771 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6X6 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, US, CH, TW 
SUBJECT:  VFM YANG JIECHI PROTESTS U.S. ACTIONS ON TAIWAN 
AND TIBET 
 
REF:  BEIJING 18141 
 
(U)  CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR JAMES R. SASSER.  REASON: 
1.5(B) AND (D).  EXEMPTION:  1.6X6. 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  VFM YANG JIECHI CALLED IN THE AMBASSADOR 
NOVEMBER 12 TO PROTEST SECRETARY RICHARDSON'S VISIT TO 
TAIWAN AND THE DALAI LAMA'S WASHINGTON MEETINGS WITH 
PRESIDENT CLINTON AND OTHER SENIOR U.S. OFFICIALS.  YANG 
DESCRIBED BOTH ACTIONS AS "CATEGORICALLY UNACCEPTABLE" 
AND INTERFERENCE IN CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS.  YANG 
ACCUSED THE DALAI LAMA OF USING HIS U.S. VISIT TO 
DISGUISE EFFORTS AIMED AT PROMOTING TIBETAN INDEPENDENCE. 
YANG WARNED AGAINST UNDERESTIMATING THE SENSITIVITY OF 
THE TAIWAN AND TIBET ISSUES AND SAID IT WAS IN OUR MUTUAL 
INTERESTS TO KEEP BILATERAL RELATIONS IN "GOOD SHAPE." 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  VFM YANG JIECHI CALLED IN THE AMBASSADOR 
NOVEMBER 12 TO REGISTER PROTESTS REGARDING SECRETARY 
RICHARDSON'S VISIT TO TAIWAN AND THE DALAI LAMA'S 
WASHINGTON MEETINGS WITH THE PRESIDENT AND OTHER SENIOR 
U.S. OFFICIALS.  (YANG ORIGINALLY ASKED TO SEE THE 
AMBASSADOR ON NOVEMBER 11, BUT A MEETING COULD NOT BE 
ARRANGED.  MFA, HOWEVER, WAS DETERMINED TO REGISTER ITS 
PROTEST THAT DAY AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL CHEN 
MINGMING DID SO THAT EVENING WITH THE ACTING DCM.) 
 
"SERIOUS CONCERN AND STRONG RESENTMENT" 
--------------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C)  YANG COMPLAINED THAT, BY SENDING SECRETARY 
RICHARDSON TO TAIWAN AND ALLOWING THE DALAI LAMA TO VISIT 
THE UNITED STATES, THE U.S. HAD DISREGARDED CHINA'S 
OPPOSITION AND REPRESENTATIONS (REFTEL).  YANG EXPRESSED 
CHINA'S "SERIOUS CONCERN AND STRONG RESENTMENT AT THESE 
WRONG ACTIONS."  HE ADDED THAT HE HAD BEEN "INSTRUCTED TO 
MAKE A PROTEST" WHICH HE HOPED THE AMBASSADOR WOULD 
REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO WASHINGTON. 
 
TAIWAN:  VIOLATION OF THREE COMMUNIQUES 
--------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C)  ON TAIWAN, YANG RESTATED CHINA'S OPPOSITION TO 
ANY OFFICIAL CONTACT OR DEVELOPMENT OF OFFICIAL RELATIONS 
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND TAIWAN, ESPECIALLY CABINET- 
LEVEL VISITS.  YANG "DEMANDED" THAT THE UNITED STATES 
LIMIT ITS RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN TO UNOFFICIAL TIES.  YANG 
PROTESTED SECRETARY RICHARDSON'S VISIT, HIS MEETINGS WITH 
LEE TENG-HUI AND OTHER SENIOR TAIWAN OFFICIALS, AND 
RICHARDSON'S "OUTRAGEOUS REMARKS ON MANY OCCASIONS." 
THIS WAS A VIOLATION OF THE THREE COMMUNIQUES AND THE 
U.S. COMMITMENT NOT TO HAVE OFFICIAL RELATIONS WITH 
TAIWAN. 
 
TIBET:  SUPPORT FOR SEPARATISM 
------------------------------ 
 
5.  (C)  ON TIBET, YANG DESCRIBED THE DALAI LAMA AS A 
"POLITICAL EXILE ENGAGED IN SPLITTISM WHO ADVOCATED 
TIBETAN INDEPENDENCE."  YANG SAID THE DALAI LAMA WAS 
USING THE PROSPECT OF CONTACTS AND NEGOTIATIONS WITH 
BEIJING TO CARRY OUT "PROPAGANDA" AND TO DISGUISE HIS 
"DECEPTIVE TRICKS."  ACCORDING TO YANG, THE U.S. 
WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE DALAI LAMA'S VISIT AND TO 
ARRANGE MEETINGS WITH THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND 
SECRETARY OF STATE, AMOUNTED TO "FLAGRANT CONNIVANCE AND 
SUPPORT FOR THE DALAI LAMA'S SPLITTIST ACTIVITIES."  THIS 
WAS A VIOLATION OF U.S. STATEMENTS THAT IT RECOGNIZED 
TIBET AS PART OF CHINA AND DID NOT SUPPORT INDEPENDENCE 
FOR TIBET, YANG ALLEGED. 
 
YANG SAYS U.S. SHOULD "CORRECT ITS MISTAKES" 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
6.  (C)  SUMMING UP, YANG SAID THAT THE U.S. ACTIONS 
CONTRAVENED INTERNATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF NON-INTERFERENCE 
IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, MUTUAL RESPECT FOR TERRITORIAL 
SOVEREIGNTY AND INTEGRITY, AND "HURT THE FEELINGS" OF THE 
CHINESE PEOPLE.  HE VOICED "STRONG OPPOSITION" TO THE 
"CATEGORICALLY UNACCEPTABLE" U.S. ACTIONS.  YANG SAID 
THAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD NOT INTERFERE IN OR 
ENTRENCH UPON CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS.  HE "DEMANDED" 
THAT THE UNITED STATES ABIDE STRICTLY BY THE THREE 
COMMUNIQUES AND THE BASIC PRINCIPLES GOVERNING 
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.  YANG CLOSED BY CALLING ON THE 
UNITED STATES TO "CORRECT ITS MISTAKES" AND FURTHER 
IMPROVE U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS WITH CONCRETE ACTIONS. 
ADDING A "PERSONAL THOUGHT," HE STRESSED THE SENSITIVITY 
OF TAIWAN AND TIBET TO BEIJING AND CAUTIONED US AGAINST 
MAKING "WRONG CALCULATIONS" AND NOT "REPEAT PAST 
MISTAKES."  IT WAS IN OUR MUTUAL INTERESTS, YANG SAID, TO 
KEEP THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP IN "GOOD SHAPE." 
 
7.  (C)  THE AMBASSADOR ASSURED VFM YANG THAT CHINA'S 
VIEWS WOULD PROMPTLY BE REPORTED TO WASHINGTON. 
 
8.  (C)  VFM YANG TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY OF A SUBSEQUENT 
MEETING NOVEMBER 12 WITH U/S HOLUM (SEPTEL) TO SIMILARLY 
PROTEST THE DALAI LAMA AND RICHARDSON VISITS. 
 
COMMENT 
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9.  (C)  AS WAS THE CASE WHEN WE RECEIVED OUR LAST 
PROTEST FROM YANG ONLY TWO WEEKS AGO (REFTEL), HIS 
PRESENTATION TODAY WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND FREE OF 
EMOTION.  THE MEETING HAD THE ADDED VIRTUE OF BREVITY, AS 
YANG WENT THROUGH HIS POINTS IN ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES. 
THIS IS NOT TO DOWNPLAY, HOWEVER, BEIJING'S UNHAPPINESS 
WITH THESE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS.  MFA DEPUTY DIRECTOR 
GENERAL CHEN MINGMING TOLD ACTING DCM NOVEMBER 11 THAT 
SERIOUS CONSIDERATION HAD BEEN GIVEN TO CANCELING U/S 
HOLUM'S ON-GOING BEIJING TALKS TO DEMONSTRATE BEIJING'S 
DISPLEASURE.  ACCORDING TO CHEN, THIS OPTION WAS REJECTED 
AS THE AMERICAN AFFAIRS DIVISION CONVINCINGLY ARGUED THAT 
STOPPING THE TALKS WOULD DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. 
 
 
SASSER