1 UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No C05342460 Date 05 13 2013 A f1 IN PART 36 SECRET PAGE 01 HONG 18993 2601032 ACTION 88-30 INFO OCT-01 ADS-00 880-00 031 043505 2603372 62 240009Z OCT 79 FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5017 AMEMBASSY BEIJING INFO AMEMBASSY BANGKOK AMEMBASSY MOSCOW AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI HONG KONG 18993 EXDIS DECAPTIONED WARNING NOTICE-SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE SOURCES AND METHODS INVOLVED NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS E O 12065 SHOESMITH THOMAS P OR-M TAGS PEPR SREF CH IN SUBJ S PRC CONTACTS WITH TEBETAN REFUGEES REF A BEIJING 7410 NOTAL B HONG KONG 18706 NOTAL 1 S - ENTIRE TEXT 2 HAS REVEALED THAT THE MESSAGE OI UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR XIONG XIANGHUI WAS RELAYED TO HIM BY WANG DEYAN ASSISTANT MANAGER OF THE HONG KONG BRANCH OF THE BANK OF CHINA WANG AND MAINTAINED CLOSE CONTACT FOR MANY YEARS WANG DID NOT ALABORATE ANY FURTHER THAN THE COMMENTS REPORTED IN REFTEL ON STATEMENT CONCERNING THE ACCEPTABILITY SECRET AUTHORITY Charles Lahiguera Senior Reviewed SECRET PAGE 02 HONG 18993 260103Z TO BEIJING OF THE IDEA OF OFFERING TIBET A UNITED NATIONS SEAT A LA BYELORUSSIA XIONG REPORTEDLY ADDED THAT OTHER IDEAS NOT ARTICULATED ALSO COULD BE DISCUSSED AS POSSIBLE CONCESSIONS TO THE TIBETANS BUT HE EMPHASIZED THAT THERE MUST BE AN UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN BEIJING AND THE DALAI LAMA THAT ONCE THE DALAI HAS RETURNED TO TIBE I BE WILL IEIOT ATTEMPT TO BROADEN THE CONCESSIONS PASSED THIS MESSAGE ON TO THE DALAI ELDER BROTHER DURING THE OCTOBER 15 TELEPHONE CONVERSATION REPORTED REF B UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No C05342460 Date 05 13 2013 BC BC BC BC UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No C05342460 Date 05 13 2013 4 3 COMMENT THE IDEA OF A SEPARATE UN SEAT FOR TIBET WAS INSPIRED BY THE TIBETAN CONCERN THAT IF THE DALAI DOES RETURN TO HIS HOME LAND HE WILL LOSE ALL ACCESS TO WORLNION AND SO WOULD BE UNABLE TO MAKE HIS VOICE HEARD IN THE EVENT OF FUTURE PERSECUTION OF TIBETANS MESSAGE THAT THE IDEA OF A TIBETAN UN SEAT IS ACCEPTABLE AS LONG AS THE DALAI DOES NOT USE IT TO PRESS FOR INDEPENDENCE INDICATES BEIJING MIGHT CONSIDER ENHANCING STATUS AS AN OR PERHAPS EVEN AS AN AS LONG AS SOVEREIGNTY IS INDISPUTABLE OBVIOUSLY THIS NOTION BEGS MANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE PRC NOT TO MENTION THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH AN IDEA BEING ACCEPTED BY THE UNGA THE CLANDESTINE AND INDIRECT MANNER IN WHICH THE MESSAGE WAS PASSED SUGGESTED IT MAY HAVE BEEN FLOATED TO ENCOURAGE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS PERMITTING BEIJING TO WITHDRAW THE OFFER IN THE FUTURE 4 THE FACT THE UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT WOULD EVEN SERIOUSLY CONSIDER SUCH AN IDEA SHOWS THE TO WHICH BEIJING MAY BE WILLING TO GO T0 T0 ENTICE THE SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 HONG 18993 2601032 DALAI LAMA TO RETURN WE HAVE BEEN STRUCK THROUGHOUT THE LAST YEAR BY THE PERSISTENCE WITH WHICH BEIJING HAS PURSUED ITS CULTIVATION OF THE TIBETAN REFUGEES THE DALAI TRIP TO THE USSR SEEMS ONLY TO HAVE INTENSI- FIED INTEREST ONE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THIS INTEREST IS THAT BEIJING HOPES THAT AN AMICABLE SETTLEMENT OF THE TIBETAN PROBLEM WILL BE VALUABLE PROPAGANDA TAIWAN AND WE WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF SOME WITHIN THE UNITED FRONT WORK DEPARTMENT ARE CONTEMPLATING THE IDEA OF A TIBETAN UN SEAT AS AN EVENTUAL MODEL FOR TAIWAN 5 A SETTLEMENT WITH THE DALAI LAMA WOULD ALSO BE A STEP TOWARD NORMALIZING SINO-INDIAN RELATIONS AN OBJECTIVE TO WHICH BEIJING MAY ATTACH HIGHER PRIORITY NOW THAT IT FACES PROLONGED TENSIONS WITH VIETNAM SHOESMITH SECRET UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No F-2010-O4407 Doc No 005342460 Date 05 13 2013 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu