PRC MEDIA BAN: MAC ADMITS MISTAKE BUT POLICY STANDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001752

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR CH TW TIP
SUBJECT: PRC MEDIA BAN: MAC ADMITS MISTAKE BUT POLICY STANDS

REF: A. TAIPEI 1725

B. TAIPEI 1684

Classified By: AIT Director Douglas Paal, Reason: 1.4 (B/D)


1. (C) Summary: Taiwan officials are trying to contain
negative political and media fallout from an April 10
announcement that Taipei would ban journalists from PRC-owned
Xinhua and the People's Daily in retaliation for Beijing's
enactment of the Anti-Secession Law. Mainland Affairs
Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu, who unilaterally decided on
the measure, acknowledged to AIT that the move was a major PR
blunder but said it was too late to reverse the decision
without causing even greater embarrassment. Instead, Wu said
that Taiwan will try to take "compensatory measures,"
including expanding the number of Mainland journalists from
non-state controlled outlets permitted to be posted in
Taipei. Wu said that MAC is looking to give the
Newscorp-controlled Phoenix Television an opportunity to post
a correspondent "since I know many officials in Washington
like Phoenix." Officials from Taiwan's National Security
Council (NSC) denied responsibility for Wu's Sunday
announcement and said they instructed Wu to take steps to
limit the damage. By expelling the PRC journalists, MAC may
have unintentionally closed one of its few direct channels to
influence opinion in Beijing. End Summary.

Sunday Surprise
--------------


2. (SBU) MAC Chairman Joseph Wu announced to reporters on
April 10 that the government would revoke entry permits for
journalists from PRC state-owned Xinhua News Agency and
People's Daily in response to their biased coverage of
Taiwan's reaction to the Anti-Secession Law. MAC started
granting PRC journalists rotating two-month residence permits
in 2000, mirroring PRC treatment of Taiwan journalists
assigned to the Mainland. MAC expanded the number of PRC
reporters eligible to report from Taipei in December 2004, as
a "goodwill" gesture to Beijing. Wu's announcement provoked
sharp criticism from opposition politicians and many Taiwan
media commentators, who decried the move as counter to
Taiwan's commitment to freedom of the press (Ref A). While
the Government Information Office (GIO) and Pan-Green party
spokesmen endorsed Wu's initiative, Premier Frank Hsieh
publicly disassociated himself from the proposal, telling
reporters it was an NSC decision.


3. (C) NSC Senior Advisor for cross-Strait affairs Chen
Chung-hsin denied Premier Frank Hsieh's accusation that the
media decision came from the NSC. Chen acknowledged that Wu
raised the idea of restricting visits by "hostile" PRC
journalists and academics during an NSC meeting the previous
week, but only as an abstract idea rather than a substantive
policy proposal. Chen said that NSC Secretary General Chiou
I-jen closed the meeting by asking the agencies present to
"explore options" for responding to recent PRC "united front"
actions. Chen speculated that this may have led Wu to
believe he had a tacit NSC approval to proceed. Chen said
that after seeing Wu's Sunday announcement, the NSC
instructed MAC to look for ways to limit the expected
negative domestic and international reaction. Chen said he
specifically asked MAC to announce that Taipei will expand
the overall number of PRC journalists permitted to report
from Taipei.

MAC Tries to Spin Its Way Out
--------------


4. (C) MAC Vice Chairman David Huang called a press
conference April 11 to clarify Wu's Sunday announcement.
Huang confirmed Wu's original decision and condemned the two
state-owned PRC media organizations for intentionally
distorting news from Taiwan, rejecting Beijing's demand to
allow the two reporters to stay. However, Huang asserted
that MAC remained committed to expanding media exchanges
between the two sides and that the recent decision did not
signal a major change in policy. MAC Chair Wu contacted AIT
late in the evening on April 11 to re-emphasize the latter
point. Wu admitted that he had not expected the negative
reaction to his April 10 announcement and told AIT he was
committed to finding ways to counter charges that MAC was
violating media freedoms.


5. (C) Wu said he was particularly fearful that the USG would
publicly rebuke Taiwan over the episode, and asked AIT to
convey that Taipei will "compensate" for the decision to ban
Xinhua and the People's Daily by further expanding the number
of PRC journalists from other media outlets allowed to report
out of Taipei from the current five. Wu said that in
addition to several "reform-minded" journals based in
Shanghai and Guangzhou MAC plans to offer Phoenix Television
the right to base a correspondent in Taipei. Wu said that he
chose Phoenix specifically to allay U.S. concerns, "since I
know many officials in Washington like Phoenix." Wu said
that, having gone public already, he was not in a position to
reverse the decision on Xinhua and People's Daily, at least
in the immediate future. Wu acknowledged that his attacks on
the two PRC media outlets were a mistake in PR terms, but he
remained unapologetic over his criticism of their coverage of
Taiwan.

Another Channel Closed Down?
--------------


6. (C) While agreeing that the two PRC press organs have used
their correspondents in Taipei to generate propaganda on the
Mainland, MAC Planning Bureau Director Chang Shu-ti told AIT
that their presence has helped communications between Taipei
and Beijing. "We know they file two sets of reports," Chang
asserted, "one for publication and the other for limited
distribution among PRC policy makers." Chang said that
Taipei is confident that the classified reports are far more
balanced and accurate than the articles written for general
consumption. Chang noted that in the past, MAC had tried to
exploit their presence in Taipei to convey policy message to
PRC counterparts.

Comment: Self-Inflicted Wound
--------------


7. (C) Following heavy-handed warnings about prosecuting KMT
Vice Chairman P.K. Chiang over his visit to Beijing (Ref B),
MAC's April 10 announcement may reinforce the perception of
many inside Taiwan and abroad that the Chen administration is
over-reacting to recent cross-Strait developments. Wu's
policy freelancing also raises questions over NSC claims in
recent weeks to have established firm control over the
aggressive MAC Chairman. It is also telling that Wu's first
concern was domestic media reaction and second was how
Washington might respond. Beijing's views were a distant
third, if considered at all. MAC attempts to "compensate"
for Wu's mistake notwithstanding, Taipei has already suffered
a setback in PR terms. The pending expulsion of the two PRC
reporters may have also left Taipei with one less channel to
convey its views first hand to counterparts on the Mainland.
PAAL