MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001928

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: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS


1. Summary: KMT Chairman Lien Chan's departure for
China today and his telephone conversation with
President Chen Shui-bian yesterday concerning his China
trip received extensive coverage April 26 in the major
Taipei dailies. The pro-unification "United Daily
News" carried a front-page headline that read: "Bian
wishes Lien a smooth and successful trip to mainland
China." A page-two news story in the "United Daily
News" reported that Lien does not rule out the
possibility of discussing the Anti-Secession Law with
Chinese President Hu Jintao. The pro-independence
"Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a banner
headline on its page two that said: "Bian said there is
no 1992 consensus, but Lien did not respond," and the
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" carried a page-two news
story with the headline: "Bian: Both sides of the
Taiwan Strait are not only ruled separately but are
also separate." The centrist "China Times" carried a
news analysis by Washington correspondent Liu Ping on
page two that said April 19 marked a turning point with
regard to the U.S. attitude toward Lien's visit to
China as AIT Director Doug Paal met with Lien and PFP
Chairman James Soong in Taipei, and U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Randy Schriver met KMT-PFP
Representative to the United States Jason Yuan in
Washington that day.


2. Editorially, the pro-independence "Liberty Times"
and the limited-circulation, pro-independence English-
language "Taipei Times" continue to attack Lien's visit
to China and said it might be the first step toward
disaster. The centrist "China Times" editorial urged
the ruling party to face the recent China fever,
coordinate the various views inside the party and come
up with a viable policy. A news analysis in the pro-
unification "United Daily News" and the editorial in
the limited-circulation, pro-unification English-
language "China Post" looked positively upon Lien's
trip, saying it will open a new page for cross-Strait
relations. End summary.

A) "Lien Chan Would Be Well Advised Not to Act as a
Sinner That Harms [Taiwan's] National Status and
Dignity"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation:
800,000] commented in its editorial (4/26):

". Peace across the Taiwan Strait is not only what the
Taiwan people hope to see but also the expectation of
international society. When [KMT Chairman] Lien Chan
arrives in China, if he could promote justly and
fearlessly Taiwan's sovereignty and dignity and demand
that China lay down its butcher knife, it is certain
that no one would reproach him for working together
with the Chinese Communist Party in restraining Taiwan.
But if Lien wants to surrender Taiwan's sovereignty to
China in exchange for the latter's grant of peace, not
only would the Taiwan people not tolerate it, but the
international community would also oppose such a move
that would sabotage the regional balance of power. .
In short, even though Lien travels to China in a
private capacity, he needs to act with perfect
propriety, neither haughtily nor humbly, and he should
try not to do anything that could harm [Taiwan's]
national dignity. ."

B) "Things That a Ruler Must Do and Must Not Do"

The editorial of the centrist, pro-status quo "China
Times" [circulation: 600,000] said (4/26):

". The challenge that this new wave of China fever has
created for the ruling party is [that it should learn]
how to face the issue, coordinate the diversified
opinions inside the party, and come up with a viable
policy direction like what a ruling party should do.
The ruling party should not just invariably oppose and
insult [the opposition parties] since it is the
privilege of the opposition party to oppose and
criticize [the ruling party]. .

". Competition between different political parties is
inevitable, but national interests should always come
first [before] the interests of any single political
party. Long-term interests [of a country] should also
be deemed more important than short-term loss and gain,
and proactivity is always better than passivity. If
our ruler and ruling party could uphold these
principles, Taiwan's politics would have a new look,
and both our domestic policy and cross-Strait relations
could be modified according to circumstances . ."

C) "Lien's China Trip Opens a New Page for Cross-Strait
Relations"

Journalists Hsiao Heng-chien and Tung Chih-sen observed
in a news analysis of the pro-unification "United Daily
News" [circulation: 600,000] (4/26):

". The meeting between the KMT chairman and the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) general secretary is, without
doubt, historically significant. In terms of the
interaction between two political parties, the CCP is a
ruling party while the KMT is already an opposition
party. Even though the two parties shared substantial
resentment or grudges during the civil war period, it
is already too difficult to discuss all these previous
details now. Also, people should not look at the
meeting as the talks between the KMT and the CCP
because the KMT is already an opposition party; it no
longer stands on an equal footing with the CCP in terms
of the political power it possesses. The symbolic
significance of the KMT-CCP meeting should thus be more
important than other aspects of significance.

"But for Lien and the KMT, the significance of
reconciliation between the KMT and CCP is not so
important; what's more important for the KMT is that it
hopes to open a new road for the current cross-Strait
relations through this reconciliatory move. As for
where the road will lead to, the ball is still in the
hand of the ruling authorities. The key still lies in
the ruler as to whether he wants the cross-Strait
relations to reap."

D) "Moving forward, or toward Disaster?"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times"
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (4/26):

". Although both Lien and Soong are acting without
explicit government authorization, Chen has given his
blessing. This will give people in this country and
abroad the wrong idea that Lien and Soong represent
government opinion. The president had only just taken
part in the March 26 protests against China's `Anti-
Secession' Law when he turned around and gave this
blessing. He said he hoped they would pave a new path
for cross-strait relations. But what about the arms
procurement bill, which continues to languish in the
legislature? If the people of Taiwan care so little
about their own defense, who will believe us in the
future if China steps up its military threats? .

"Dialogue between the KMT and the Chinese Communist
Party may be significant in historical terms. However,
as long as Taiwan's political parties cannot agree on
the basic principles of national sovereignty and policy
toward China, then these two trips may turn out to be
not a glorious beginning to better times, but the first
step toward disaster."

E) "Lien Begins Peace Journey"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" [circulation: 30,000] noted in an
editorial (4/26):

". Lien's eight-day-four-city trip, followed by that of
another Taiwan opposition leader, James Soong of the
People First Party next week, also for peace and
reconciliation, will definitely serve to help bail
Beijing out from its current diplomatic quagmire. .

"Lien's trip certainly will add pressure to the Chen
administration to speed up rapprochement with the
mainland, a `priority task' it promised but failed to
carry out after five years."

PAAL