PRC-VATICAN RELATIONS: TAIWAN ON THE SIDELINES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 003796

SIPDIS

STATE PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC SCUL TW
SUBJECT: PRC-VATICAN RELATIONS: TAIWAN ON THE SIDELINES

REF: STATE 145435

Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan, Reason 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: Taiwan has been relegated to an observer as
the Vatican and the PRC gradually improve ties and slowly
work towards diplomatic relations. Taipei's relationship
with the Holy See has the full attention of Taiwan government
officials, and President Chen Shui-bian has directed the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the National Security
Council (NSC) to use every means possible to preserve
Taipei's ties with the Holy See. Taiwan has increased
contributions to Vatican sponsored charities, is collecting
evidence of PRC abuses against the Church, and is actively
lobbying Vatican officials throughout Europe to maintain
ties. Taipei is also highlighting Taiwan's record and
support for human rights, religious freedom, and democracy.
Despite Taipei's efforts, senior officials from the
Presidential Office, the NSC, and MOFA privately admit that
there is little they can do and are pessimistic that Taiwan
can sustain ties with the Vatican beyond the short term.
Senior officials are also concerned that the loss of the
Vatican could negatively impact Taipei's ties with its
Central American partners. End summary.

Attention at the Highest Levels
--------------


2. (C) Taiwan-Holy See relations are receiving the full
attention of the Taiwan government and is a top priority for
the Chen administration. President Chen's Deputy
Secretary-General, James Huang, told AIT that Chen is

SIPDIS
personally following the Vatican-PRC situation closely and
has ordered MOFA and the NSC to do everything possible to
convince the Vatican not to recognize Beijing. Huang said
that President Chen believes the loss of the Vatican,
Taiwan's sole diplomatic partner in Europe, would damage
Taiwan's international image and constitute a substantial
victory for Beijing. Huang stressed that the stakes are very
high for Taiwan because Vatican ties offer international
validation for Taipei's record on human rights and democracy.
MOFA's Director of European Affairs, Larry Wang, told AIT
that Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) is also watching the Holy
See situation closely and like President Chen, the LY views
Taiwan-Vatican ties as a top priority. Wang noted that the
LY recently ordered Taipei's Ambassador to the Holy See to
return to Taiwan to report directly to the LY on the status
of Taipei's relationship with the Vatican.

Taiwan's Vatican Strategy
--------------


3. (C) Taiwan's strategy for maintaining ties with the
Vatican consists of increasing financial support to the Holy
See and emphasizing Taipei's moral and human rights values.
The Presidential Office's Huang told AIT that Taiwan has
significantly increased its budget to support Vatican
sponsored charity organizations in an effort to highlight to
the Vatican the importance of the Taiwan relationship (Note:
Huang would not reveal the amount of money being funneled to
the Vatican. End note). The NSC's Senior Advisor Connie
Yang added that MOFA issued a directive to its missions
abroad to collect intelligence and find evidence of specific
examples of human rights abuses committed by Beijing against
the Catholic Church for passage to the Holy See. MOFA's Wang
told AIT that Taipei has also increased its contacts with the
Vatican and has made it a priority to attend virtually all
Church sponsored events throughout Europe and elsewhere.
However, Wang admitted that Taiwan's efforts are largely in
response to the PRC's own efforts to increase its own
participation in Church activities.


4. (C) According to the Presidential Office's Huang, Taipei
is also trying to convincing the Holy See that it would be
immoral for the Vatican to derecognize Taiwan, which is known
for its democracy, human rights, and religious freedom, in
favor of an authoritarian Communist regime that represses
religious freedom. As part of these efforts, MOFA has
undertaken a "charm" offensive against Vatican officials and
clergy members in Europe to highlight Taiwan's human rights
record and press the Holy See not to recognize the PRC.
Huang added that Taiwan also insists that Beijing's demand
for the Vatican to sever ties with Taiwan should not be a
precondition for diplomatic ties with the PRC. Huang told
AIT Taipei has been working with Taiwan's Cardinal Paul Shan
who, Huang and MOFA's Wang claim, supports Taiwan and is
working on Taipei's behalf at the Holy See.

But Little Taiwan Can Do
--------------


5. (C) Despite Taipei's efforts to sustain Vatican-Taiwan
ties, senior officials in the Presidential Office and MOFA
privately admit to AIT that there is little they can do but
watch as the Vatican and the PRC gradually move closer toward
official diplomatic ties. The Presidential Office's Huang
told AIT that he and other officials are not optimistic about
Taipei's ties with the Vatican in the long run. Huang
explained that he is in contact with a senior journalist in
Beijing who claims that the PRC and the Vatican are making
quick progress. Huang added that Taipei's position is
particularly precarious because Taiwan is not a factor in the
Holy See's decision-making process because it is no secret
that the Vatican intends to recognize Beijing as soon as the
conditions are right. Vatican Charge d' Affairs in Taipei,
Monsignor Ambrose Madtha, told AIT that the Holy See has
always wanted and needs diplomatic ties with Beijing for the
sake of the Church's estimated 10-15 million Catholics in the
PRC and that it is only a matter of time. MOFA's Larry Wang
agreed with Huang and noted that there is little Taiwan can
do at this point but hope Beijing does something to derail
negotiations with the Vatican.

Switch Could Be Politically Damaging for Taiwan
-------------- --


6. (C) Senior Taiwan foreign policy officials are also
concerned that the loss of the Vatican could negatively
impact Taiwan's ties with its other diplomatic partners,
particularly in Central America where the Catholic Church is
influential. MOFA's Wang asserted that once the PRC and the
Holy See establish ties, Beijing will penetrate the Catholic
Church in Central America and gain another avenue in which to
pressure Taiwan's Central American partners to recognize
Beijing. The Presidential Office's Huang remarked that
President Chen is very concerned about the status of Taiwan's
relationship with its partners in Central America if the
Vatican were to recognize Beijing. Huang explained that such
a loss, while symbolic, could tip the scale in the PRC's
favor if some governments were wavering in their ties to
Taiwan.


7. (C) Huang also maintained that the loss of the Holy See
could have a domestic impact in Taiwan, but opined that it
would likely be short lived. Huang explained that the Taiwan
public is accustomed to "these types of changes" and noted
that prospects for losing ties with the Vatican has
frequently been reported in the press and would not be a
surprise. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP)
International Affairs Deputy Director Hsieh Huai-hui also
speculated that the loss of the Vatican would not severely
affect Taiwan's domestic situation, but she noted that this
would depend how the event is played in the media and the
timing. She argued that if the switch occurred before an
election, it could be very damaging for the Chen
administration.

Comment: Few Options Left
--------------


8. (C) Taiwan's foreign policy officials are resigned to the
fact that there is little Taiwan can do but watch and hope
that it takes years for the Holy See and the PRC to renew
ties. Taiwan is actively doing what it can do derail the
thaw in PRC and Vatican relations, but it is clear Taiwan has
few options left. Considering that there are 10-15 million
unrepresented Catholics in the PRC compared to 300,000
represented Catholics in Taiwan, the Vatican seems determined
to seek better ties with Beijing for the sake of the much
larger number of Catholics in the PRC. The only question for
Taiwan is not if the Vatican will recognize the PRC, but
when. In the meantime, Taiwan has been relegated to a
spectator while its diplomatic fate is determined by the PRC
and the Holy See.
KEEGAN