MEDIA REACTION: RICE'S BEIJING TRIP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 001224

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: RICE'S BEIJING TRIP


1. Summary: The Taipei dailies continued March 22 to
report on U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's
visit to Beijing by focusing on a press conference she
attended there Monday in which she said the Anti-
Secession Law is not a welcome development and Beijing
should adopt measures to reduce cross-Strait tensions.
All the major Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan
carried Rice's remarks in their inside pages, while the
centrist "China Times" and the pro-unification "United
Daily News" also reported the articulation of gratitude
by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council to the United
States for its concern about cross-Strait peace. The
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily," in a page-two story,
quoted a high-ranking Taiwan official as saying Rice's
remarks urging China to take action to reduce cross-
Strait tensions were "good enough" even though she did
not mention that Taiwan's future "should be determined
by the 23 million people in Taiwan."


2. The "China Times" and the "United Daily News"
published news analyses that said, judging from Rice's
remarks, Washington and Beijing have come to a tacit
agreement regarding the cross-Strait situation.
Washington correspondent Vincent Chang commented in the
"United Daily News" that even though Washington scolded
Beijing over the Anti-Secession Law, the reality was
that the United States has acknowledged the existence
of the law, which, with Washington's tacit
acknowledgement, has become part of the `status quo'
for both sides of the Strait. A limited-circulation,
pro-independence English-language "Taipei Times"
editorial, however, said Rice has botched her chance to
achieve something in Beijing as she failed to persuade
China to reduce cross-Strait tensions. End summary.

A) "Washington and Beijing Have Gradually Come to a
Tacit Agreement to `Co-manage' the Cross-Strait
Situation"

Journalist Yu Hui-chien noted in the "Beijing
Observation" column of the centrist, pro-status quo
"China Times" [circulation: 600,000] (3/22):

"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, contrary to
Taipei's expectations, merely said in Beijing that the
Anti-Secession Law was not a welcome development. Just
as Beijing had expected, Rice did not make a fuss about
the law. Some people in Beijing who are well versed in
affairs regarding Washington and Beijing hold an
optimistic view and believe that in consideration of
their own separate interests, the framework of U.S.-
China co-management of the cross-Strait situation has
already emerged. .

"Both China and the United States have reached a tacit
agreement about `co-managing' the cross-Strait
situation. But Washington is clearly aware that it
will not be able to affect Taiwan as effectively as
Beijing expects. ."

B) "Amazing Coincidence! Washington and Beijing Have
Reached a Tacit Agreement Regarding the Cross-Strait
Situation?"

Journalist Wang Li-chuan said in the conservative, pro-
unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 600,000]
(3/22):

". With regard to the cross-Strait issue, [U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice's use of language

SIPDIS
towards both sides of the Taiwan Strait has been very
cautious. Regarding Taiwan, Rice did not use words
like `not supporting Taiwan independence' or `opposing
Taiwan independence,' which is friendlier than last
year when U.S. President George W. Bush articulated his
opposition to Taiwan independence. On the other hand,
however, Rice did not express opposition to the Anti-
Secession Law as Taiwan had hoped. Such a development
seems to indicate that Washington does not believe the
Anti-Secession Law will change the status quo. .

"Rice has repeatedly stressed that she `hopes Beijing
will adopt measures to demonstrate its goodwill and
reduce [cross-Strait] tensions.' This remark was
coincident with Beijing's planned next step toward
Taiwan. Such an amazing coincidence makes it easy for
people to suspect that Beijing and Washington may have
reached some tacit agreement over the cross-Strait
issue, so that Washington thinks that Beijing's [next]
moves meet the United States' requirement that `neither
side should unilaterally attempt to change the status
quo in the Taiwan Strait. .'

C) "Washington Scolds Beijing But Has Tacitly
Acknowledged the Anti-Secession Law"

Washington correspondent Vincent Chang observed in the
conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News"
[circulation: 600,000] (3/22):

"With regard to the Anti-Secession Law, two conclusive
results have been generated from U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice's recent trip to Beijing:
namely, Beijing is the troublemaker, but Washington has
acknowledged the existence of the Anti-Secession Law. .

"In contrast, the Bush administration, as of now, has
not articulated its opposition to the Anti-Secession
Law, which Taipei believes has altered the status quo
in the Taiwan Strait. .

"But Rice has at least clearly pointed out that the law
`has increased tensions and jeopardized the
`possibility' of cross-Strait dialogue. Instead of
vaguely describing that the United States hopes `both
sides' should not do anything unilaterally that would
increase tensions across the Strait, Washington has
finally identified that Beijing is the troublemaker for
[creating] the Anti-Secession Law. For Taipei, such a
move is better than nothing. But the Mainland Affairs
Council's and Foreign Ministry's `sincere gratitude' to
the small favors done by the United States showed they
were too easily pleased. This is because Taipei must
recognize a cruel fact revealed in Rice's talks: the
United States will not only stop opposing the Anti-
Secession Law any more but has already acknowledged its
existence! .

"In other words, even Beijing was lightly reprimanded
by Rice orally, the reality was that it made no harm to
the fact that the Anti-Secession Law has become the
`status quo' for both sides of the Taiwan Strait under
the tacit acknowledgement of the United States. ."

D) "Rice Botched Her Chance in Beijing"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times"
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (3/22):

"China's "Anti-Secession" Law was one of the key issues
for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's two-day
visit to Beijing. During a meeting with Rice on
Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao demanded that the
US not send a `wrong signal' to the `Taiwan separatist
forces,' while Rice reiterated Washington's opposition
to any unilateral action that may change the status quo
in the Taiwan Strait.

"Superficially, the two countries [i.e. the United
States and China] appeared equally matched in the
meeting, but in fact, China had the upper hand, as it
had already passed a law legitimizing in its own mind
its threat of war against Taiwan. That law has shifted
the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. In requesting
that Beijing make efforts to reduce cross-strait
tension, Washington was merely trying to remedy a
situation that existed. There is no guarantee that
Beijing will take up this proposal, so clearly Hu came
off better in the talks. .

"Rice had the means of persuading China to reduce cross-
strait tensions at her disposal, but she failed to make
use of the opportunity. The means are the themes of
`freedom' and `democracy' that figured to prominently
in US President George W. Bush's second inauguration
speech. The disparity between Taiwan and China is not
only a question of incomes and quality of life, but one
of values, beliefs and systems of government. This
difference cannot be made to disappear through the use
of guns, battleships or missiles. .

"Since the passage of the `Anti-Secession' Law,
antipathy and suspicion of China among the people of
Taiwan has increased. Taiwan's anxiety about China can
only be reduced in the Beijing leadership is prepared
to show respect for Taiwan's existence, introduce
measures that guarantee its security and enhance the
prosperity of Taiwan's society. For example, they
could stop blocking Taiwan efforts to join the World
Health Organization as an observer and sign free-trade
agreements with other countries. This would pave the
way toward cross-straits negotiations founded on
equality. ."

PAAL