MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 002376

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: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN


Summary: Major Taiwan newspapers shifted some of their focus
away from politics this weekend, and offered front-page
stories on various topics such as poisoned local energy
drinks, the funeral of Taiwan's "Godfather," and top music
awards. The dailies did, however, focus some attention on
constitutional reforms to be ratified by the National
Assembly. The front-page banner headline of the pro-
independence "Liberty Times" on May 29 read: "300 Members of
the National Assembly to Meet; Political Parties Take Moves to
Secure Votes." The pro-unification "United Daily News"
followed the next day with a front-page banner that read:
"National Assembly Kicks Off Meeting. President Chen Shui-bian
and DPP Chairman Su Chen-chang Keep Their Eyes on DPP
Deputies." Editorially, the Chinese-language dailies in
Taipei commented on constitutional amendments and political
manipulation. Pro-independence newspapers continued to
criticize China on their op-ed pages for using the power of
Taiwan's opposition parties to achieve the goal of annexing
Taiwan. End summary.

A) "United States Loses Leading Role In Taiwan Strait - Part
II"

Lai I-chung, Director for Foreign Policy Studies of the
Taiwan Thinktank, wrote in the pro-independence "Taiwan
Daily" [circulation: 150,000] in the second part of his two-
part commentary on cross-Strait relations (5/28):

"One key development after the meetings between [KMT
Chairman] Lien [Chan], [PFP Chairman James] Soong, and
[Chinese President] Hu [Jintao] is that the United States
has lost its leading role in the Taiwan Strait, and this is
why the U.S. State Department spokesman said a few days ago
that the United States did not intend to control, so it
could not control the cross-Strait situation. .

"The main reason [why] the United States has fallen into
such a tragic predicament, besides Hu Jintao's sophisticated
manipulations, Lien's and Soong's gutlessness, and the
Taiwan government's panicked leadership, is the United
States' own arrogance and stupidity.

"There have been rumors in society that when the United
States' agency in Taiwan met with the Pan-Blue camp, the Pan-
Blue political powers used the [statement] that [they] would
support the arms procurements after the visits to China to
ease the United States' concerns, plus it is also rumored
that Lien's and Soong's meetings with Hu Jintao could also
facilitate the Bian-Hu meeting in the future, so the United
States did not show worry in public. In the past the United
States could do nothing about the Pan-Blue camp's blocking
of the arms procurements, now it can be considered that the
Pan-Blue camp has used the arms procurements in an almost
threatening way to get its pass to China, and we can see
whether the arms procurement [bill] passes [in the
Legislative Yuan], the United States has been 'had' by the
Pan-Blue, and this has been the United States' first
miscalculation.

". The United States' second miscalculation is that it put
too little weight on the meetings between Lien, Soong and
Hu. Even when Washington came to realize the situation was
not good, it could do nothing but admit unhappily that the
United States has no control over the Taiwan Strait
situation.

". [T]he [reasons that] the United States managed to have
initiatives regarding the Taiwan Strait situation in the
past, besides its own projected military power, also
included [the fact that] Taiwan's democracy had been
unwilling to accept political arrangements by the Chinese
Communist Party's authoritarian regime, and the United
States' interference was justified as a means to protect
Taiwan's democracy. But now because Hu Jintao has started
to penetrate Taiwan's political agenda, and has become as
justified as the United States by controlling the Pan-Blue
camp, the United States' ability to initiate Taiwan Strait
[matters] has been nullified. From now on, the United
States is no longer a controller who `defines the status quo
in Taiwan Strait,' but has become a competitor in
competition with China over political influence in Taiwan,
and whether there will be a `Bian-Hu meeting' no longer
means much.

"Hu Jintao is a sophisticated manipulator, Lien Chan is
gutless, James Soong is an adventurer, and the United States
miscalculates, but if the governing national security team
could hold its breath for the sake of long-term strategic
consideration and play a leadership role, Hu Jintao's risky
step to meet Lien and Soong could become a new wave of
pressure on China after international society's opposition
to `The Anti-Secession Law,' and this wave of pressure could
also become the basis for the Green and Blue political
parties in the country to unite and love Taiwan. In other
words, the governing team should play the role of an
initiator. The ability to initiate here does not lie in the
`proclamation of who could lead,' but lies in the ability to
define the creation of issues.

B) "China Uses an Indirect Way to Usurp Pro-China Pan-Blue
Political Parties to Paralyze the Arms Procurement Special
Budget Bill"

The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 150,000]
editorializes (5/28):

". In recent years, the Chinese government no longer
pressures the U.S. authorities, and instead it indirectly
uses the pro-China KMT and PFP's majority advantage in the
Legislative Yuan to paralyze the arms procurement budget
bill in the Legislative Yuan for the first time, and further
puts pressure on the governing DPP administration, and
forces Taiwan's decision-making authorities to deal with
[problems] from two sides, on the one hand seeking the Pan-
Blue legislators' understanding to support the passage of
the arms procurement deal, on the other hand taking pressure
because of the U.S. government's concerns or
dissatisfaction. We think Washington should figure out the
key to the question, which is that the reason the arms
procurement budget bill has been boycotted by the Pan-Blue
legislators several times is not because the DPP
administration, led by President Chen Shui-bian, is
intentionally shifting the responsibility for Taiwan
national defense, but it is because the Chinese government
intentionally usurps Taiwan's two pro-China political
parties to delay the review procedure for the arms
procurement budget bill.

"We think the KMT party headquarters cannot neglect the
symbolic meaning of the letter co-signed by 33 U.S
congressmen to [KMT Chairman] Lien Chan, [because the letter
means that] the U.S. Congress has become aware of the fact
that Lien Chan plays an important role in the continuous
boycott process of the arms procurement budget bill; unless
the KMT never becomes Taiwan's governing party, otherwise it
will never be possible for a political party which
disregards Taiwan's national defense to such a degree to
gain the U.S. government's trust and support."

C) "Be Aware Of China's Use of Cover to Peacefully Annex
Taiwan"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 800,000]
editorialized (5/31):

". China has used Taiwan as an excuse for its military
buildup. As China's economy picks up, its capability of
military expansion grows significantly. Under the cover of
`peaceful rise,' the real situation is that China is moving
to become a military giant. China thinks of itself as
Asia's economic powerhouse [and is thus] qualified to become
the leader in the region. The strong U.S. military
presence, meanwhile, is viewed by China as the biggest enemy
for its annexation of Taiwan and taking the leadership of
all of Asia. Therefore, China has aggressively sought to
break the First Island Chain and to squeeze the U.S. zone in
the West Pacific. It is widely known that Chinese
submarines have breached the First Island Chain several
times during their operations."

"Now, leaders of the Pan-Blue camp are rushing to Beijing to
establish so-called communication platforms, while the long-
delayed military procurement budget is still stranded in the
procedural committee of the Legislative Yuan. We are
concerned that with opposition parties blocking the budget
and cooperating with the Beijing authorities, China only has
to use some trick such as pretending it plans to remove
missiles, [whereby] it can [then] peacefully annex Taiwan
without firing a missile."

PAAL