Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TAIPEI2063
2005-05-06 12:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

KMT CHAIRMAN LIEN CHAN ON HIS HU JINTAO MEETINGS

Tags:  PGOV PREL CH TW 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 002063 

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL CH TW
SUBJECT: KMT CHAIRMAN LIEN CHAN ON HIS HU JINTAO MEETINGS

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 002063

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/W

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL CH TW
SUBJECT: KMT CHAIRMAN LIEN CHAN ON HIS HU JINTAO MEETINGS

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


1. (C) Summary: In a May 6 meeting, KMT Chairman Lien Chan
told the AIT Director that he met with PRC President Hu
Jintao four times during his April 29 visit to Beijing. Lien
said that he and Hu talked at length at two of the four
meetings. At a closed door meeting between Lien and Hu along
with their close advisors, the two sides agreed to pursue
peace and security confidence building measures, and a
mechanism for economic cooperation and to convene separate
forums for economic and political exchanges twice annually.
Lien said that at a pre-dinner discussion Hu offered to
permit PRC tourists to visit Taiwan and to permit 15
categories of fruit imports from Taiwan without duty. He then
offered to send PRC pandas to Taiwan. Lien said that he was
able to be positive about the prospect of PRC tourists
visiting Taiwan and Taiwan fruit going to the PRC, but he had
to be cautious about pandas because many authorities on
Taiwan would need to approve. He said he was optimistic they
would eventually be approved. Lien told the Director that he
did encourage Hu to pursue dialogue with Chen Shui-bian but
that Hu did not respond positively or negatively. Lien noted
that Hu said the PRC would continue to be mindful of Taiwan's
quest for more international space and would pursue
confidence building measures proposed by the KMT, but beyond
that there was no detailed discussion. Lien also noted that
they did not touch on sensitive issues such as the missiles
targeted at Taiwan, the "1992 Consensus," or the Special
Defense Budget. End Summary.

Behind Closed Door with Hu Jintao
--------------


2. (C) In a May 6 meeting, KMT Chairman Lien Chan told the
AIT Director that he met with PRC President Hu Jintao four
times during his April 29 visit to Beijing -- at a televised
formal reception, during a closed door discussion, at a
pre-dinner talk, and during the scheduled dinner. Lien said
that the most substantive discussion took place during the
closed door meeting between Lien and Hu along with their
close advisors. Although originally scheduled for forty
minutes, Lien said, the meeting continued for one hour and

forty minutes. Characterizing his exchanges with Hu as
"frank, natural, and friendly," Lien said that they started
by talking about the present rather than the past, then
focused on the future. Lien said he told Hu that both Taiwan
and China should work together to halt the "vicious circle of
tension between the two sides that started in 2000," and that
he praised Hu for starting the search for peace this March by
inviting Taiwan opposition leaders to visit China. Lien said
he explained to Hu the "special circumstance" of Taiwan's
experience of having been colonized. Given the pioneering
spirit of the Taiwanese people, he told Hu, the negative
colonial experience left a deep sense of sorrow and tragedy
(bei-qing) in the Taiwanese psyche. Lien said that Hu
responded pointedly and said, "Since you have drawn attention
to this issue, we will be especially cognizant of the issue
and endeavor to understand it" (quanxin gen liaojie).


3. (C) Lien said that he then expressed hope that the KMT and
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can establish a platform to
continue their dialogue. Noting that Hu responded favorably
to his statement, Lien stressed the importance of this
agreement given the long absence of dialogue between the PRC
and the Taiwan authorities. Lien pointed out that while the
KMT was an opposition party, the CCP was not. Lien told the
Director that he proposed four ideas to Hu, and Hu responded
favorably to all of them -- peace and security confidence
building measures, economic cooperation, a forum for economic
exchange, and a mechanism for economic cooperation.

Peace and Security Confidence Building Measures
-------------- --


4. (C) Lien told the Director that the KMT and CCP agreed to
undertake confidence building measures in order to work
toward a peace agreement between Taiwan and the PRC. Lien
said that the discussions involved a general commitment
toward peace and security and that neither he nor Hu raised
any contentious issues or any specific problem areas such as
the missiles targeted at Taiwan, the "1992 Consensus" (the
formula of "One China, with different interpretations"),or
the Special Defense Budget currently before the Taiwan
legislature. Arguing that it was more important for the two
party's leaders to achieve mutual recognition of shared
goals, Lien said, "in politics and diplomacy, we need some
ambiguity."


5. (C) Lien noted that he separately told Jia Qinglin that
the KMT has "certain reservations" about the Anti-Secession
Law recently promulgated by the PRC. Lien said that he told
Jia that the rise of Taiwan consciousness does not
necessarily mean support for Taiwan independence and that all
Taiwanese should not be forced to suffer the consequences of
a pro-independence ideology of a small minority. Lien
emphasized to the Director the importance of recognizing all
the good will the PRC had expressed since passage of the
Anti-Secession Law.

Economic Issues
--------------


6. (C) Regarding economic cooperation, Lien told the Director
that Hu said the "Twelve Points" to which the PRC agreed
during KMT Vice Chairman P.K. Chiang's visit still stand and
that he hoped Taiwan will do all it can to facilitate the
agreements. Lien said that the KMT and CCP also agreed to
convene meetings annually to exchange views on economic and
political issues, with one on each topic every year with
alternating venues, thus a KMT-CCP meeting every six months.
They would invite scholars, business leaders, and officials
from other political parties. Finally, Lien told the
Director that he proposed to Hu a "common market" -- an idea
originally promoted by former KMT Vice Chairman Vincent Siew
but rejected by the PRC -- as an economic cooperation
mechanism. Lien explained that he had reintroduced the
"common market" idea because he realized that the PRC would
not accept a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and that Chen
Shui-bian would not accept the Hong Kong-style Closer
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). A common market, he
explained, "is wide enough to cover all that we wanted and
can always be defined to exclude what we do not want." Lien
told the Director that Hu accepted the concept in the end,
noting it took the European Union fifty years to implement
its common market.

Hopes for Government to Government Contact?
--------------


7. (C) Lien told the Director that Hu mentioned the issue of
Taiwan participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) but
noted that this would require negotiation with official
Taiwan authorities. Nevertheless, Lien told the Director, Hu
said he had already asked his PRC officials to approach the
WHA Secretariat to find a way for Taiwan medics and medical
scholars to participate and share their expertise, Lien
reported to the Director. When the Director asked if the PRC
will insist on Taiwan participating under the nomenclature
"Taiwan, China," Lien replied that Hu told him he was willing
to discuss the issue. Lien said he believes the nomenclature
"Chinese Taipei" should work. He lamented, however, that
Chen Shui-bian is always looking for symbolic victories
rather than gaining substantive progress in participation in
international organizations.


8. (C) Lien told the Director that he emphasized to Hu that
he, as a private citizen, could only do so much. In order for
there to be more progress toward peace between Taiwan and the
PRC, Hu and Chen Shui-bian should pursue dialogue. Lien said
that Hu did not say yes or no to the proposal. Lien said
that Hu told him the PRC would continue to be mindful of
Taiwan's quest for more international space and would pursue
confidence building measures as proposed by the KMT, but
beyond that there was no further discussion.


9. (C) Lien said the secretaries general of the KMT and the
Taiwan Presidential Office have already talked by telephone
and repeated to the Director his public comments that he has
not ruled out the possibility of talking to Chen Shui-bian.
Evidently posturing to avoid becoming a demandeur, Lien said
that so far nothing has been decided about meeting with Chen.

Tourists, Fruit, and Pandas
--------------


10. (C) Lien told the Director that he and Hu had another
chat prior to their formal dinner. Lien said that at that
meeting Hu mentioned there were two gestures that the PRC
could take unilaterally to express good will toward Taiwan.
According to Lien, Hu said the PRC would permit PRC tourists
to visit Taiwan and 15 categories of Taiwan fruit to be
exported to the PRC without tariff. Lien said that after the
discussion on tourists and fruit "came the pandas." He said
he thanked Hu but told him that pandas going to Taiwan will
take some time to work out. Lien pointed out that many
Taiwan cities are already competing to receive the pandas.
Lien noted that Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou has said that
he is ready, but Lien said the issue should also be discussed
with Taichung and Kaohsiung. Lien also noted to the Director
that Taiwan environmentalists with a political agenda might
challenge the idea of pandas coming from the PRC.
PAAL