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Mueller told reporters Wednesday that he was "impressed" by the thoroughness and professionalism of the security preparations for the Olympic Games. The head of the FBI met with officials from three of China's main law enforcement agencies: the Ministry of State Security, Ministry of Public Security and People's Armed Police as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing declined to make public the name and title of Mueller's interlocutor at the MSS, which handles China's domestic and foreign undercover operations.
At the MPS, the unit responsible for routine activities typically associated with police forces, Mueller met with Minister Meng Jianzhu and Vice Minister Liu Jing and. He also met with Wu Shuangzhan, commander-in-chief of the PAP, a paramilitary organization with activities ranging from support during natural disasters or political unrest to guarding foreign embassies, plus important government and Communist Party building compounds.
The director also held talks with Liu Jieyi, one the Chinese Foreign Ministry's experts on relations with America.
Given China's huge size, Mueller said he believed the 2008 Games in Beijing "will be substantial, probably the largest ever in terms of those attending as well as watching … the challenge with so many involved is how to keep the various venues secure." After touring several facilities Mueller said he anticipated the Olympics would be secure and safe.
"We have offered assistance to our counterparts in areas where we have some degree of expertise and we will continue to work with them in the run-up to the Olympics," he said.
Mueller declined to elaborate on specific types of cooperation, saying it was up to those responsible for security.
"Obviously it's important that not all the details are made public so that we announce to those who would expect to do harm to the Olympics how we are attempting to secure it," he said.
Mueller expressed concern about disruptions to the Games from abroad, saying it was "tremendously important to share intelligence with regard to threats that may be originating outside China as it addresses threats from within the country."
One topic where the two sides diverge is organizations defined as constituting a threat. China considers the Falun Gong, for example, to be a dangerous cult and closely monitors the outlawed group's activities. Asked about China's overseas intelligence gathering on the Falun Gong and other groups, Mueller said the substance of his discussions had focused on protecting Olympic venues from potential attack, principally from terrorists.
"Politics or other issues that do not relate to the Games or to our mutual threats have not been on the table," he added.
The U.S. official sees the Olympics as an opportunity to build on a foundation of formal and informal relationships and enhance contacts, not just in anticipation of the Games, but over the long term.
In addition to the world's top sporting event, Mueller discussed issues of concern to both countries such as terrorism, cyber crime, and public corruption. He called them areas where "we share a common goal to defeat those who would do our populace harm."
Mueller said effectiveness in addressing these threats required coordination, cooperation, friendship and working together on the part of agencies in the United States and China. While recognizing the two countries had different histories and judicial systems, the FBI director said "we have to reach across those borders and boundaries" in order to collaborate and share expertise. He noted there were a number of areas where the two sides exchanged training, views and know-how.
The director sidestepped a question on progress regarding principles of trust, transparency and reciprocity in U.S.-China "cop-to-cop diplomacy," outlined by Assistant Director Thomas V. Fuentes from the FBI's Office of International Operations during his visit to Beijing in June 2007.
Mueller said the establishment of a legal attache office in the Chinese capital staffed by FBI agents had "resulted in the expeditious exchange of information," but noted such exchanges "can always be improved." He added that informal exchanges had helped improve the relationship between the U.S. agents and their Chinese counterparts.
In reference to statements made by the FBI director in July 2007 about Chinese espionage and hackers being a "substantial concern," Mueller said he'd "prefer to focus on areas in which we have very good cooperation," adding his discussions in Beijing had focused on "mutual concerns."
China was the first stop on Mueller's three-country mission to Asia. His itinerary includes a visit to Vietnam and opening the FBI's first office in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
