PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE RESPONDS TO PRC SUSPICIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003265 SIPDIS STATE PASS AIT/W E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2013 TAGS: PREL PGOV CH TW SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE RESPONDS TO PRC SUSPICIONS OVER 10/10 REF: A. TAIPEI 3162 ¶B. TAIPEI 3190 ¶C. TAIPEI 2876 Classified By: AIT Deputy Director David J. Keegan, Reason: 1.4 (B/D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Presidential Office Deputy Secretary General James Huang requested a meeting with the Deputy Director October 19 to clarify concerns raised by Beijing over President Chen Shui-bian's October 10 speech. Huang, at the president's instructions, explained that Chen's statement that "Taiwan is the Republic of China" was in no way meant as a provocation to the Mainland. On the contrary, Huang said the president made the statement to counter attempts by Lee Teng-hui and pro-independence fundamentalists to use the upcoming constitutional debate to formally rename the "Republic of China" as Taiwan or to otherwise redefine Taiwan's sovereign status. Huang emphasized that Chen remains committed not to address sovereignty-related questions in future rounds of constitutional reform. While acknowledging that Beijing is unlikely to fully understand or accept the president's position, he urged Washington to convey Taipei's sincerity in seeking improved relations. The Deputy Director reminded Huang that the PRC remains extremely skeptical about Chen's intentions, and is unlikely to distinguish between what Chen identified as intended for domestic constituencies and what he meant for Beijing's consumption. End Summary. Point of Clarification -------------- ¶2. (C) Presidential Office Deputy Secretary General James Huang requested a meeting with the Deputy Director October 19 to further clarify President Chen Shui-bian's October 10 National Day Address (Ref A). Huang noted that the Secretary of State would soon be traveling to Asia and would likely receive a negative message over portions of the president's speech during his meetings in Beijing (Ref B). Huang said he shared with the president concerns raised by the AIT Director and Deputy Director on October 16 about Beijing's strong reaction to Chen's assertion that the "Republic of China is Taiwan." Huang said that the president provided, in response, a lengthy explanation of his thinking and asked that this clarification be conveyed to AIT and Washington. ¶3. (C) Huang asserted that the president's "ROC/Taiwan" statement was meant to respond to calls by fundamentalists, �0A;especially former President Lee Teng-hui, that Taiwan abandon the "Republic of China" structure. He emphasized that this was in no way was aimed at provoking Beijing. Huang said that the president is concerned about growing public support for Lee's call to abandon the title "Republic of China" and formally change the national title to "Taiwan." He pointed out that Lee has resurrected the traditional term, "rectification of names" (zheng-ming) as his slogan. Huang noted that President Chen has offered a series of speeches in recent months aimed at "safeguarding" the "Republic of China's" existence. Huang said that President Chen reminded an audience in Honolulu on August 30 that Dr. Sun Yat-sen had come to Hawaii to seek support for his revolution. Chen proclaimed to the group that "the Republic of China does exist and it is thriving." Huang added that Chen also used a press availability in Belize on September 2 to refute the suggestion (made in August by Premier Yu Shyi-kun) that the national title should be changed to "Taiwan, ROC," insisting it would remain the "Republic of China." ¶4. (C) Huang stated that the president's specific reference to the "Republic of China's" territory and population in a separate section of the speech was meant only as a description of the status quo, and denied that there were any political connotations. Huang added that had the president meant to make this a message for Beijing's consumption, "he would have included it in the portion of the speech on cross-Strait relations." Huang noted that the president reiterated in his October 10 speech that his May 20 inaugural promises would be faithfully followed in his term of office. A core element of his May 20 pledge, Huang continued, was that the upcoming debate on constitutional reform will not touch on the question of national title or definition of the "Republic of China's" territory. ¶5. (C) Huang said that "while we are not so naive to think that Beijing would fully accept our clarification," he hoped that "our friends in Washington" would understand the complex political pressures the president is under. Huang added his appreciation for recent statements by the State Department Spokesman on cross-Strait relations. Huang asked the USG to convey to Beijing that "it takes two to tango" and that some sort of clear positive gesture from the other side will be critical to restarting communications. Huang added that the PRC's refusal to accept the "Republic of China" nomenclature makes the Chen administration's attempts to suppress fundamentalists calls for a name change even more difficult. Beware of PRC Suspicions -------------- ¶6. (C) The Deputy Director noted in response that Beijing remains deeply suspicious of any statement from President Chen that relates to Taiwan's sovereignty, especially in the lead-up to discussions on constitutional reform. He added that the PRC is extremely unlikely to discriminate between messages meant for domestic constituencies and those aimed across the Taiwan Strait. The Deputy Director added that Beijing's leadership also faces intense internal political pressures to stand firm on Taiwan, making a public positive gesture unlikely. That said, he noted that there are some signs that Beijing may be willing to de-link political and economic issues in the coming months. For this reason, the Deputy Director urged the Chen administration to tread very cautiously during the ongoing Legislative Yuan (LY) election campaign, and to consistently reiterate the president's conciliatory message. Comment: Washington Remains Priority Number One -------------- -- ¶7. (C) President Chen's quick response to our observations makes it clear that he remains determined to persuade the United States of his commitment to a conciliatory approach to the PRC. We are, as many here have noted, his primary audience. He is willing to accept, at least in the short term, a more chilly response from Beijing. It is not clear, however, that he accepts the need to be consistent in his message. PAAL