PFP ADVISOR BREAKS RANK, JOINS DPP CROSS-STRAIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003584

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2014
TAGS: PGOV PREL TW
SUBJECT: PFP ADVISOR BREAKS RANK, JOINS DPP CROSS-STRAIT
COMMITTEE

REF: TAIPEI 02074

Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan, Reasons: 1.4 (B/D)


1. (C) Summary: Former PFP International Affairs Director
Raymond Wu told AIT that he intends to join President Chen
Shui-bian's inter-party Cross-Strait Peace and Stability
Committee after it is set up in early 2005. Wu said he would
join the committee even if his political mentor James Soong
objected because he believes Soong and current Pan-Blue
leaders have lost sight of the true aspirations of the Taiwan
people. Wu said that he attempted to introduce innovative
ideas on cross-Strait policies to the Pan-Blue leadership but
was ignored. The Pan-Blue has said that it will boycott the
committee. However, should the DPP succeed in attracting
other prominent Pan-Blue experts to participate, the Pan-Blue
might find itself left out of cross-Strait policy debates.
End Summary.

DPP courts Wu again
--------------


2. (C) Former People First Party (PFP) International Affairs
Director Raymond Wu told AIT that National Security Council
(NSC) Secretary General Chiou I-jen had asked him to
participate in the inter-party Cross-Strait Peace and
Stability Committee that Chen Shui-bian said he intends to
set up in early 2005. Wu said that he and Chiou had met to
talk about the Committee twice since August, when Wu turned
down an offer to be the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) vice
chairman (Reftel). Wu said that his decision to join the
Committee would be contingent on whether or not the Chen
administration showed it was serious about reducing
cross-Strait tensions and resuming dialogue with the PRC. Wu
said he intends to ask the question directly to Chiou the
next time they met.

Pan-Blue out of touch with Taiwan
--------------


3. (C) Wu asserted that he would join the committee even if
his political patron James Soong objected. Wu admitted to
AIT that he had rejected MAC's offer to be vice chairman
solely because of Soong's flat disapproval. However, after a
period of soul searching, Wu explained, he had despaired over
how out of touch with "Taiwan reality" Soong and current
Pan-Blue leaders truly were. Wu said that he traveled
extensively throughout Taiwan with Soong during the 2000
election, and heard what Taiwan people in the cities,
countryside, towns, and villages had to say. Wu said that it
was infinitely clear that Taiwan identity is on the rise and
if it were not for their fear of PRC attack, the people would
choose independence.


4. (C) Wu said he is baffled by Soong's recent declaration
that there should be no trace of independence sentiment in
the Pan-Blue. Wu asserted that Soong heard the same voices
on Taiwan identity and independence that he did, and at the
time appeared more open to innovative ideas on cross-Strait
relations. Wu claimed that Soong gave him license to think
creatively, and as a result, Wu wrote a policy paper that
included the formulation "Taiwan is the Republic of China,
the Republic of China is Taiwan" (Taiwan jiu shi Zhonghua
Mingguo, Zhonghua Mingguo jiu shi Taiwan).


5. (C) Wu said that he gave Soong and KMT Secretary General
Lin Fong-cheng the policy paper during the 2004 presidential
election but they took no action on it. After the election,
Wu presented his ideas to KMT Vice Chairman Vincent Siew, and
Siew promised to propose them at a KMT Central Standing
Committee (CSC) meeting. Wu said in frustration, the
formulation was watered down to "some meaningless phrase
about the ROC being the best defense for Taiwan." Wu said he
feared that the Pan-Blue had no one working on cross-Strait
policy at the moment, pointing out that former MAC Chairman
Su Chi was no longer at the National Policy Foundation. Wu
asked rhetorically, "And who is left around James Soong? PFP
Policy Chief Chang Hsien-yao? He stopped thinking when he
started his LY campaign"

In Soong's defense
--------------

7. (C) While many of Soong's once close advisors have
abandoned the increasing erratic PFP Chairman, PFP Legislator
and Spokesman Daniel Hwang (Yih-jiau) defended the reasoning
behind Soong's tack to the pro-unification extreme. Hwang
told AIT that Soong was convinced that there was no room in
the Pan-Blue for Taiwan independence sentiments. Hwang
explained that the Pan-Blue must rid itself of Lee Teng-hui
elements because "any hint of independence thinking would
cause tensions with the PRC." Hwang continued, "we do not
buy ROC equals Taiwan, the ROC is still the union of the
whole of China." When asked about the Pan-Blue's
presidential campaign promise that independence was an option
for the future, Hwang replied that "Wang Jin-pyng said it;
James Soong did not." Hwang admitted that Soong did say the
debate should be postponed, but explained that "postponing
the debate does not mean that we are going to pursue
independence." He added that the PFP still stood for
eventual reunification, but wanted China to catch up
politically and economically. Hwang stated that the PFP
approach has been: "we will concentrate on the economy and
act like an ostrich on political issues."

Comment: Is Pan-Blue losing out?
--------------


8. (C) It will be interesting to see whether any other
prominent Pan-Blue figures will break rank with the
leadership and join the DPP's cross-Strait committee. LY
President and KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng told AIT Acting
Director November 9 that the Pan-Blue will boycott the
committee as a DPP public relations ploy. However, that
characterization would be difficult to sustain should the DPP
succeed in convincing other serious Pan-Blue cross-Strait
policy experts to participate.
PAAL