MEDIA REACTION: CHINA'S "ANTI-SECESSION LAW"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001074

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD -
ROBERT PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHINA'S "ANTI-SECESSION LAW"


1. Summary: Major Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan
continued to report on China's "anti-secession law"
March 11 by focusing on President Chen Shui-bian's
articulation of gratitude to Washington for its concern
about the legislation and for Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice's comments on it. The centrist "China
Times" printed a banner headline on page two that said
"Bian thanks the United States for [its] grave concern
over the anti-secession law." The sub-headline adds:
"[President Chen] also thanks [President George W.]
Bush for his opposition to the European Union's
[proposal] to lift its arms embargo against China." A
second story on page two of the "China Times" is
headlined "[Condoleezza] Rice: anti-secession law is
not helpful with regard to the cross-Strait situation."
The page two headline of the pro-independence "Taiwan
Daily" also read: "Bian thanks Bush for his opposition
to European Union's Arms Shipment to China." Almost
all the newspapers in Taiwan reported in their inside
pages that the DPP will hold a mass rally in Taipei
March 26 to protest China's `anti-secession law."


2. The editorial of the pro-independence "Liberty
Times" urged the Chen Shui-bian administration to put
aside its joint statement with PFP Chairman James Soong
and join in the mass rally scheduled for March 26 to
protest China's "anti-secession law." The limited-
circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan
News" called on Beijing to respect the views of the
international community and withdraw the "anti-
secession law" from further consideration. A news
analysis of the centrist "China Times" noted that
Chen's articulation of gratitude to the Untied States
has clearly demonstrated his administration's current
strategy of "taking no action to curb [China's] action"
in response to China's "anti-secession law." A pro-
unification "United Daily News" editorial urged
President Chen to ponder on whether he needs to join
the mass rally scheduled for March 26 to "counter-
react" to China's "anti-secession law." End summary.

A) "The Joint Statement [Announced by] Chen Shui-bian
and James Soong Should Be Put aside; Both the Ruling
and Opposition Parties Should Join the [March 26] Rally
Together to Protect Taiwan"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation:
800,000] editorialized (3/11):

". [I]t is easier to tell that the joint statement
released by [President] Chen and [PFP Chairman] James
Soong signifies a victory for Soong in embracing the
one China principle, while it indicates a failure for
Chen to defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Neither Chen's
Five Nos pledge nor the Chen-Soong joint statement has
effectively defended Taiwan's sovereignty; instead,
they have offered a handle for China to use to threaten
Taiwan and to legitimately enact an `anti-secession
law.' To put it more bluntly, the joint statement
between Chen and Soong will do more harm than the Five
Nos pledge in killing Taiwan's chance of survival. Now
the DPP, spurred by the `anti-secession law' which has
endorsed [China's] use of force against Taiwan, acts as
if it has just woken up from a long sleep and said it
wants to host a mass rally for peace and democracy and
to protect Taiwan. We support such an idea and call on
President Chen and both the ruling and opposition
parties to stand up and join hands in defending
Taiwan's sovereignty. Only by doing so can we really
achieve the goal of `protecting Taiwan.'"

B) "Parties Can Show Colors in March"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News"
[circulation: 20,000] editorialized (3/11):

". The tone of the march and whether President Chen
Shui-bian or other senior officials of the Taiwan
government attend will depend on whether the PRC rams
the law through the National People's Congress on March
14 in the face of intensifying opposition from the
international community.

"Senior officials from the United States, European
Union and Japan have already expressed serious concern
and opposition to any unilateral change to the Taiwan
Strait status quo and attempts to resolve the cross-
Strait conundrum by `non-peaceful means,' with one
senior U.S. diplomat directly calling the anti-
secession bill to be `a wrong idea.'

"We hope Beijing will decide to respect the views of
the world community and withdraw the anti-secession law
from further consideration and, preferably, file it in
a convenient trash can, since its enactment will
inevitably open a Pandora's box full of intended and
unintended consequences, most of which will not be
favorable to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait
or to the welfare of the people on either side.

"But we agree that the Taiwan people cannot sit in
silence if Beijing ignores the well-intentioned advice
of the world community. Indeed, a 500,000-person
protest march is a relatively mild manifestation of
opposition to such an onerous action. ."

C) "The Small Wresting against the Big; Chen Shui-bian
Administration Adopts No Action to Curb [China's]
Action"

Journalist Lin Shu-ling noted in a news analysis in the
centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation:
600,000]:

"Beijing originally planned to enact the `anti-
secession law' in order to target Taiwan, but now the
law has turned out to be a focus of intense wrestling
between the United States and China. President Chen
Shui-bian finally responded [to China's `anti-secession
law] after a few days of silence. While expressing his
gratitude to the United States, Chen has clearly
demonstrated his administration's strategy for the
current situation. `To adopt no action in order to
curb [China's] action' has, without doubt, become the
most important model for Taiwan's national security
agencies in handling regional issues. .

"After all, even though Taiwan is a victim of the anti-
secession law, those who really possesses the strength
to turn the tables are big countries like the United
States and Japan. Before the situation is finally
settled and in order not to complicate the issue, the
Presidential Office declined to say whether President
Chen will also take to the streets. But the back and
forth arguments against the anti-secession law recently
were in fact a test for the tacit cooperation between
Taipei, Washington and Tokyo with regard to their
security alliance."

D) "Reaction and Counter-reaction: Rulers Must Not Get
Caught in Vicious Cycles"

The conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News"
commented in an editorial [circulation: 600,000]
(3/11):

"Beijing's writing of the `anti-secession law,' no
matter from which perspective it is judged, is a great
pity for cross-Strait relations. But it is also a fact
that the immediate cause for Beijing's enactment of
such a law is because `over the recent period of time,
the Taiwan authorities have accelerated the pace in
promoting Taiwan independence activities.' As a
result, [our] ruler should make a sensible . choice
between reviewing his responsibility for `making a bad
policy that brings insults to his country' and getting
half a million people to join in a mass rally.

"Our ruler used to repeatedly announce that he would
rewrite Taiwan's constitution and abandon his Five Nos
pledge, or he would frequently mobilize hundreds of
thousands of people to take to the streets to challenge
or protest Beijing's moves. Those were exactly the
reasons why Beijing wanted to enact the `anti-secession
law.' Now our ruler still wants to use the same
tactics to mobilize local people and thereby to
`counter-react' the `anti-secession law.' Will the
move add fuel to fire that he intends to put out or
will he further mess up the situation because of
mishandling? These are the questions that our ruler
has to ponder. ."

PAAL