WikiLeaks cables, day 7: summary of today's key points


There are no fewer than 251,287 cables from more than 250 US embassies around the world, obtained by WikiLeaks. We present a day-by-day guide to the revelations from the US embassy cables both from the Guardian and its international media partners in the story

US embassy cables: every day's revelations at a glance

Day 7, Sunday 5 December

Guardian

• The US is worried that China could be planning internet warfare via private companies that are known to have recruited top hackers.

• China's "newly pugnacious" foreign policy is "losing friends worldwide", the US ambassador to Beijing argued in a cable.

• Hillary Clinton, talking to Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, referred to China as "your banker", illustrating America's deep anxiety over China's growing economic power and hold on US finances.

• Rolls-Royce lost a lucrative contract to supply helicopter engines to the Spanish military because of a personal intervention by Spain's prime minister, José Luis Zapatero, following vigorous lobbying from US diplomats, according to a secret cable from the US embassy in Madrid.

Der Spiegel

• US diplomats in Vienna expressed "frustration", disappointment and concern about Austria's politicians.

• There is an unexpected culture of consensus within China's all-powerful, 24-strong Communist party politburo, according to US diplomats in Beijing.

• The American embassy in Beijing has been compiling information on Xi Jinping, the man expected to become China's next president.

• Cables from the US embassy in Baghdad paint a picture of bewildered diplomats outmanoeuvred by the Iranians.

Le Monde

• US diplomats in Iraq were briefed about the last moments of Saddam Hussein after his execution in December 2006.

• Brazil and the US are divided as to how to deal with Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gao Zhishengs Probation Ends, Family Wants Him Home

Image
Geng He, wife of missing Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, participates in a press conference held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) to discuss Chinese human rights records on the eve of Chinese President Hu's White House arrival on Jan. 18, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AFP/Getty Images) Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhishengs five-year probation period ended on Aug. 14, and his family wants him to come home alive. Gao has been missing for 16 months since a brief public appearance in April 2010, after which he was again taken into extralegal custody by Chinese authorities; they told Gaos family little more than that he has gone missing. He had been in detention, with no legal procedures, for a year before that short-lived reappearance. My family needs him. I hope that our family can be reunited, Gaos wife Geng He told The Epoch Times. She said that according to Chinese law, Gao should be freed after the five years of probation. We should always have the...
Keep reading

50 Fake Food Factories Busted In China

Image
Sounds like there is a bootlegged version of  every damn thing in China. The word "fake" is nothing new in China. President Trump is behind time when it comes to "fake news". China has been faking everything including new since time immemorial ... The Fake Walmart China busts 50 factories making fake branded seasoning with ‘dangerous’ ingredients in latest food scandal A "production hub" which churned out counterfeit  seasoning designed to look like well known brands such as Nestle and Knorr is being investigated in China, in what appears to be the latest food scandal to spark anger in the country. Around 50 factories used what media called “dangerous” ingredients, including industrial salt and artificial colouring and food additives, at the manufacturing base which was reported to have existed for more than 10 years. Officials in  the northern port city of Tianjin, where the elaborate operation was located, have been instructed to ...
Keep reading

Hong Kong Marchers Challenge Ban on Music, Voice Discontent

Image
Hong Kong's annual July 1 parade featured some very public acts of civil disobedience in response to authorities' attempts to restrict an event famous for championing Hong Kong's freedom. (Song Xianglong/Epoch Times Staff ) Hong Kongs annual July 1 parade featured some very public acts of civil disobedience in response to authorities attempts to restrict an event famous for championing Hong Kongs freedom. At a rally after the parade outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Office, speakers expressed discontent over voting rights, the taking of private property, and the abuse of police power. Since the handover of Hong Kong to the Chinese communist regime on July 1, 1997, a rally and parade has been held in Hong Kong. July 1 is a doubly significant dateit is also the anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The event has served as a protest against the CCPs rule of Hong Kong and a rallying point for Hong Kongers who wish to preserve the c...
Keep reading