Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TAIPEI3247
2005-08-04 08:36:00
UNCLASSIFIED
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:
"CHINA TIMES" INTERVIEWS RETIRING KMT CHAIRMAN
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. 040836Z Aug 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003247
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ROBERT
PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO TW
SUBJECT: "CHINA TIMES" INTERVIEWS RETIRING KMT CHAIRMAN
LIEN CHAN ON ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL
Summary: The centrist, pro-status quo Chinese-language
"China Times" Wednesday carried an interview with KMT
Chairman Lien Chan, who has announced he will step down
from the leadership position he has held for five and a
half years August 19. In the interview, Lien said the
KMT would accept the U.S. arms procurement bill if the
amount of money budgeted for the bill were appropriate.
The U.S. arms procurement bill could be passed during
the next legislative session, Lien added, if the ruling
DPP government no longer creates any trouble for the
KMT. A full-text translation of the article follows.
"[As Long As] the Ruler Does Not Cause Trouble, the
U.S. Arms Procurement Bill Might Be Passed."
Journalists Chang Jing-wei, Wu Tien-jung, Lo Ru-lan,
and Hsiao Hsu-tseng wrote on page four of the "China
Times" [circulation: 600,000] (8/3/05):
In an interview with China Times yesterday, KMT
Chairman Lien Chan said for the first time that KMT
would approve the U.S. arms procurement bill if the
amount of money budgeted for the bill is appropriate.
Lien added that part of the money designated in the
bill should be included in Taiwan's annual budget, and
the rest could be included in a special budget. Lien
stressed that "as long as the DPP government does not
cause any trouble," the U.S. arms procurement bill
might be passed in the next legislative session.
Lien said the U.S. arms procurement bill proposed by
the [Chen Shui-] Bian administration had already been
proposed by the KMT while the KMT was the ruling party
[of Taiwan]. Lien said, "We do not oppose the U.S.
arms procurements. It is absurd for someone to claim
we oppose [the bill], and even 33 members of the U.S.
House of Representatives were mobilized to write to
us." Lien said, frankly, before stepping down from his
current post, that part of the reason for the
obstruction of the U.S. arms procurements stems from
the interaction between the government and the
opposition party [i.e. the KMT].
Lien said whenever the KMT planned to discuss the U.S.
arms procurement bill, the ruler created trouble,
[although Lien does] not know whether the ruler has
done this intentionally or not. In April 2005, when
the KMT wanted to take action, the [DPP] government
said it would press charges against KMT Vice Chairman
P.K. Chiang for visiting China, and hence negotiations
between the ruling party and the opposition parties in
the Legislative Yuan "were out of question." "Why did
[the DPP government] want to press charges against
Chiang at that critical moment? Why has the government
not done it so far?" Moreover, [Lien added,] the
government said before the legislative elections that
it wanted to change the KMT's party emblem, and claimed
that the KMT had conducted a "soft coup." "Could we
approve the bill under those circumstances?" [Lien
asked.]
Lien also questioned the [Chen Shui-] Bian
administration for failing to actively push for the
passage of the U.S. arms procurement bill. He said
appropriate defensive capabilities are necessary, and
added when the KMT was in power, its policy was to
establish appropriate defensive capabilities. But
there have been several problems with the current U.S.
arms procurement deal: U.S. President George W. Bush
agreed to sell weapons in a large quantity to Taiwan in
April 2001, but the DPP government has delayed it for
three years without taking any action and has proposed
a budget as late as seven days before the start of the
legislative recess in early 2003; plus, the budget
increased from NT$280 billion to NT$480 billion, and
the government has not offered any explanation for why
it is so.
Lien said the Legislative Yuan certainly could not have
handled this bill seven days before its recess. The
[Taiwan] presidential election came after that, and the
government proposed another bill of NT$680 billion
[edit: figure two years ago was actually NT$610.8
billion] afterwards. The Taiwan people do not
understand why, either. That is why an Anti-U.S. Arms
Procurement League was formed, but this league has
nothing to do with the KMT.
Lien stressed that the numbers for U.S. arms
procurements must be accurate in the future, and added
that part of the money designated in the bill should be
included in Taiwan's annual budget, and some could be
included in a special budget. By doing so, the budget
for the U.S. arms procurements will not surpass the
annual budget's ceiling. Lien Chan said the U.S. arms
procurement bill might be passed in the next
legislative session, but he hopes that the [DPP]
government will create no more trouble.
PAAL
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ROBERT
PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPAO TW
SUBJECT: "CHINA TIMES" INTERVIEWS RETIRING KMT CHAIRMAN
LIEN CHAN ON ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL
Summary: The centrist, pro-status quo Chinese-language
"China Times" Wednesday carried an interview with KMT
Chairman Lien Chan, who has announced he will step down
from the leadership position he has held for five and a
half years August 19. In the interview, Lien said the
KMT would accept the U.S. arms procurement bill if the
amount of money budgeted for the bill were appropriate.
The U.S. arms procurement bill could be passed during
the next legislative session, Lien added, if the ruling
DPP government no longer creates any trouble for the
KMT. A full-text translation of the article follows.
"[As Long As] the Ruler Does Not Cause Trouble, the
U.S. Arms Procurement Bill Might Be Passed."
Journalists Chang Jing-wei, Wu Tien-jung, Lo Ru-lan,
and Hsiao Hsu-tseng wrote on page four of the "China
Times" [circulation: 600,000] (8/3/05):
In an interview with China Times yesterday, KMT
Chairman Lien Chan said for the first time that KMT
would approve the U.S. arms procurement bill if the
amount of money budgeted for the bill is appropriate.
Lien added that part of the money designated in the
bill should be included in Taiwan's annual budget, and
the rest could be included in a special budget. Lien
stressed that "as long as the DPP government does not
cause any trouble," the U.S. arms procurement bill
might be passed in the next legislative session.
Lien said the U.S. arms procurement bill proposed by
the [Chen Shui-] Bian administration had already been
proposed by the KMT while the KMT was the ruling party
[of Taiwan]. Lien said, "We do not oppose the U.S.
arms procurements. It is absurd for someone to claim
we oppose [the bill], and even 33 members of the U.S.
House of Representatives were mobilized to write to
us." Lien said, frankly, before stepping down from his
current post, that part of the reason for the
obstruction of the U.S. arms procurements stems from
the interaction between the government and the
opposition party [i.e. the KMT].
Lien said whenever the KMT planned to discuss the U.S.
arms procurement bill, the ruler created trouble,
[although Lien does] not know whether the ruler has
done this intentionally or not. In April 2005, when
the KMT wanted to take action, the [DPP] government
said it would press charges against KMT Vice Chairman
P.K. Chiang for visiting China, and hence negotiations
between the ruling party and the opposition parties in
the Legislative Yuan "were out of question." "Why did
[the DPP government] want to press charges against
Chiang at that critical moment? Why has the government
not done it so far?" Moreover, [Lien added,] the
government said before the legislative elections that
it wanted to change the KMT's party emblem, and claimed
that the KMT had conducted a "soft coup." "Could we
approve the bill under those circumstances?" [Lien
asked.]
Lien also questioned the [Chen Shui-] Bian
administration for failing to actively push for the
passage of the U.S. arms procurement bill. He said
appropriate defensive capabilities are necessary, and
added when the KMT was in power, its policy was to
establish appropriate defensive capabilities. But
there have been several problems with the current U.S.
arms procurement deal: U.S. President George W. Bush
agreed to sell weapons in a large quantity to Taiwan in
April 2001, but the DPP government has delayed it for
three years without taking any action and has proposed
a budget as late as seven days before the start of the
legislative recess in early 2003; plus, the budget
increased from NT$280 billion to NT$480 billion, and
the government has not offered any explanation for why
it is so.
Lien said the Legislative Yuan certainly could not have
handled this bill seven days before its recess. The
[Taiwan] presidential election came after that, and the
government proposed another bill of NT$680 billion
[edit: figure two years ago was actually NT$610.8
billion] afterwards. The Taiwan people do not
understand why, either. That is why an Anti-U.S. Arms
Procurement League was formed, but this league has
nothing to do with the KMT.
Lien stressed that the numbers for U.S. arms
procurements must be accurate in the future, and added
that part of the money designated in the bill should be
included in Taiwan's annual budget, and some could be
included in a special budget. By doing so, the budget
for the U.S. arms procurements will not surpass the
annual budget's ceiling. Lien Chan said the U.S. arms
procurement bill might be passed in the next
legislative session, but he hopes that the [DPP]
government will create no more trouble.
PAAL