Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06AITTAIPEI1152
2006-04-03 08:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

Boeing-CAL Sale Awaits Presidential Office Signal

Tags:  EAIR ETRD TW 
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ETRD TW
SUBJECT: Boeing-CAL Sale Awaits Presidential Office Signal


UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001152

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
SIPDIS

DEPT PASS TO USTR
DEPT FOR EAP/TC


USDOC FOR 4430/ITA/MAC/JDUTTON
USDOC PASS TO ADVOCACY CENTER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ETRD TW
SUBJECT: Boeing-CAL Sale Awaits Presidential Office Signal



1. (SBU) Summary: Boeing continues to discuss the sale of ten 747-8
aircraft with China Airlines (CAL). CAL recently suggested that
Boeing should get the State Department or National Security Council
to express support for the sale. Boeing representatives explained
to CAL that nine U.S. Senators had already expressed support and
further action from the U.S. executive branch would not be helpful
at this time. Boeing believes that the next move should be CAL's.
Boeingis puzzled by the need for further government approval at
this stage, but will not seek U.S. executive branch action. It has
asked for further support from the staff of Senators who wrote to
President Chen about the sale and may seek additional action from
Senator Rockefeller. End summary.


2. (SBU) Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Chief Taiwan
Representative Paul Fang and Sales Director Scott Grimsby briefed
AIT/T March 30 on the status of their proposal to sell China
Airlines (CAL) ten 747-8 planes, consisting of four freight and six
passenger aircraft. CAL's Board of Directors voted in early March
to approve "conditional acceptance." Boeing believed that this
would move them into contract negotiation, followed by another vote
by the Board of Directors to approve the contract and then final
approval by the government. However, CAL told Boeing that it would
need approval from Taiwan's Presidential Office before it would be
able to proceed with contract negotiation. CAL asked Boeing to
arrange for some kind of expression of support from the U.S.
government to be delivered to the Presidential Office.


3. (SBU) Boeing arranged for nine Senators, led by Senator
Brownback, to send a letter to President Chen Shui-bian in support
of the deal. AIT followed up by telephone, asking the Presidential
Office on behalf of Senator Brownback's office what the status of
the letter was. Subsequently, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council Chairman
William Brock sent a letter in support of the Boeing sale to Chen.
However, on March 28, CAL suggested that Boeing arrange for the U.S.
State Department or National Security Council to send a message of
support as well.


4. (SBU) Fang and Grimsby met with CAL Senior Vice President of
Marketing Brian Chou and Vice President of Corporate and Marketing
Planning Steve Yang on March 29. At the meeting, Fang told Chou and
Yang that Boeing believed that it had done everything that CAL had
asked. He underscored the significance of a letter from nine U.S.
Senators and explained why Boeing was reluctant to involve officials
from the U.S. executive branch at this point. Fang said that by the
end of their meeting with Chou and Yang, the CAL executives seemed
to have accepted Boeing's message that the next move should be
CAL's. Later Fang told AIT/T by phone, that CAL had arranged a
meeting with staff at the Presidential Office to discuss next steps.
Boeing had given CAL a deadline of March 31 to complete contract
negotiations and will now consider adjustments to this timeframe.


5. (SBU) Fang and Grimsby were both puzzled by the process and CAL's
insistence on some kind of approval from the Presidential Office at
this stage. They are not sure whether CAL or the Presidential
Office is driving the requests for more U.S. government action.
However, the Boeing executives were clear that they do not believe
further action by the U.S. executive branch in Washington would be
effective or appropriate at this time. Fang said that Boeing has
asked the senior staff of the nine Senators who wrote to Chen to
contact TECRO in Washington to follow up on the letter. Boeing is
also considering asking Senator Rockefeller to intervene personally
by calling the Presidential Office in Taipei. Fang said that it
might be useful for AIT to show its interest in the situation at
some point in the future.