Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TAIPEI3139
2005-07-25 09:26:00
SECRET
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

TAIWAN: ADVANCED SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SPACE

Tags:  TSPA PREL ETTC KSCA TW ESTH 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
S E C R E T TAIPEI 003139 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC, NP/ECNP - KESSLER/MACLURE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2025
TAGS: TSPA PREL ETTC KSCA TW ESTH
SUBJECT: TAIWAN: ADVANCED SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SPACE
COOPERATION

REF: STATE 132849

Classified By: AIT Director Douglas H. Paal, Reason 1.4 b and d

S E C R E T TAIPEI 003139

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC, NP/ECNP - KESSLER/MACLURE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/22/2025
TAGS: TSPA PREL ETTC KSCA TW ESTH
SUBJECT: TAIWAN: ADVANCED SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING SPACE
COOPERATION

REF: STATE 132849

Classified By: AIT Director Douglas H. Paal, Reason 1.4 b and d


1. (S) Summary. AIT ESTOFF met with National Space Program
Office (NSPO) Director Lance Wu on July 22 to deliver reftel
demarche. Taiwan has already approved a budget to purchase
remote sensing images. Taiwan plans to "co-own" images
rather than to lease them. Taiwan does not plan to hold an
open bid, but will instead independently and
non-competitively select a U.S. image service company with
which to work. Taiwan is very anxious about keeping the
project as low profile as possible. Taiwan is not interested
in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) at this time. Wu
proposed holding further consultations in Washington at the
end of August. End Summary.

Budget Approved for U.S. Image Service Company
-------------- -


2. (S) AIT ESTOFF met with NSPO Director Lance Wu on July 22
to deliver reftel demarche. Wu stated that all decisions on
the purchasing of a remote sensing system are made by a
Committee of the National Security Council (NSC). Wu
reported that the NSC committee had met on July 21 and
approved funding for the entire budget request for the
purchase of an advanced satellite remote sensing system. He
also stated that Taiwan is committed to work with a U.S.
company and is not considering working with other countries.
Taiwan also does not plan to conduct an open bid for the
project. Taiwan is very concerned with keeping the project
as low profile as possible. Taiwan is concerned about
criticism by the PRC and therefore wants to limit the number
of outside players involved. To this end, Wu revealed that
Taiwan has decided to work with an image service company
(such as Digital Grove or Space Imaging) rather than with a
manufacturer. Wu noted that the company with which it would
like to work will be decided independently and
non-competitively by another meeting of the an NSC Committee
on August 15. He urged in strongest terms that Washington not
disclose any of the above information to anyone in the
private sector.

Draft Agreement
--------------


3. (S) Wu briefly glanced at the draft agreement. He
expressed surprise that it proposed that Taiwan would lease a
remote sensing system. Taiwan does not plan on leasing the
images. Taiwan's vision is that it would "co-own" the remote
sensing images with the U.S. company from which it partners
for this project. Specifically Taiwan would own all of the
images of Taiwan and the PRC while the US partner company
would own all of the images of the rest of the world, which
the U.S. company would have the right to sell on the open
market.


4. (S) Regarding the sections on a SAR remote sensing space
system, Wu noted that this was beyond Taiwan's sights at this
point. Nonetheless, Wu did sound intrigued by the
possibility of a SAR as a next step once a commercial remote
sensing arrangement is up and running.


5. (S) Regarding the overall draft agreement, Wu noted
concerns about keeping the information confidential. He was
worried that not everyone in TECRO could be trusted (Wu
implied that he had concerns about information getting leaked
to the PRC). Unfortunately, Wu left for meetings in Europe on
entirely different issues on Saturday July 23 and will not
return to Taiwan until August 5. Wu promised to read over
the Agreement and to provide more comprehensive comments to
AIT's ESTOFF upon his return.

Consultations
--------------


6. (S) Wu proposed that consultations about the draft
agreement and Taiwan's plans to purchase a remote sensing
system be held in Washington in late August. Wu is scheduled
to be in Colorado beginning on August 22 to discuss the
COSMIC program between NSF and Taiwan's National Science
Council (under the auspices of AIT/TECRO). He proposed that
he fly to DC following those meetings to discuss these issues.
PAAL