MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA SUMMIT

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001406

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC BARBORIAK
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A


TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA SUMMIT



1. Summary: While Taiwan's dailies gave significant coverage April
21 to the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese
President Hu Jintao Thursday, coverage also focused on the
controversial battle over the ownership of the Sogo Department
Store, which First Lady Wu Shu-chen is allegedly involved in, and
other political issues. With the exception of the pro-independence
"Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, all the Chinese-language
papers reported on the Bush-Hu meeting on their front page. Both
the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" and pro-unification "United Daily
News," ran a banner headline on their front pages that quoted Bush
as saying he does not support Taiwan independence. The pro-status
quo "China Times" ran a banner headline on its page two which
juxtaposed Bush's statement of not supporting Taiwan independence
and Hu's statement of opposing Taiwan independence. The "China
Times" also devoted two-thirds of its page two and the whole of its
page 13 to Hu's U.S. trip and the issues discussed during the
Bush-Hu meeting. The "Liberty Times" spent the whole of its page
three reporting on the Bush-Hu meeting and protests outside the
White House against Hu's visit. The newspaper also ran a news story
on its page four with the banner headline: "Bian Urges China to Talk
to Taiwan's Elected Leader." The front-page news story of the
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" carried the headline that said:
"During the Bush-Hu Meeting, a Falun Gong [Practitioner] Protests
against Hu in His Face."


2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times"
editorial said only with its democratic values can Taiwan fight
against the totalitarian China. A "Taiwan Daily" editorial said
Washington's move to downgrade its reception of Hu revealed its
doubts about China's dictatorship. An editorial in the
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei
Times" commented on President Chen Shui-bian's letter to the "Wall
Street Journal" Thursday prior to the Bush-Hu meeting, saying "Chen
said exactly what he should have been saying to the U.S. all along:
Taiwan has no intention of making life hard for Washington, but has
been forced to take proactive measures to protect its democratic
system from Beijing." A "United Daily News" news analysis said Bush
took a preemptive move by mentioning the Taiwan issue first; a
separate "United Daily News" commentary said Beijing is not anxious
to resolve the trade and international issues that Washington is
concerned about because it firmly believes that as long as China
keeps developing, the United States will need China more and more.
End summary.

A) "Only with Democratic Values Can [Taiwan] Resist Barbarous and
Totalitarian China"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000]
editorialized (4/21):

"... Taiwan should continue deepening its democracy, so that it can
resolve the island's inner differences and conflicts, strengthen its
Taiwan-centered values, and forge its modern ethnic consciousness.
When it comes to the fight for Taiwan's sovereignty, once Taiwan is
able to distinguish between friend and foe and see through China's
aggressiveness to annex Taiwan, all the Taiwan people will wake up
to their national awareness and they will join hands together to
fight for Taiwan. Democracy and freedom are the best tools to fight
a totalitarian dictatorship -- this is an eternal truth revealed in
the human history. Taiwan should make use of its democratic
achievements to resist the barbarous China. This is the best way
for Taiwan to survive."

B) "[The Fact That] Bush and Hu Each 'Have Different Interpretations
About Hu's Visit [to the U.S.]' Reveals Washington's Doubts about
China. Taiwan Should Strengthen Cooperation with the United States
and Japan to Prevent the Threats Posed by China's Rise"

The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 100,000]
editorialized (4/21):

"... To sum up, democracy is the basic reason why the United States
has downgraded its reception of [Chinese President] Hu Jintao this
time. Also, it was because Washington wanted to keep a distance
with China's anti-democratic regime. More importantly, the United
States wanted to convey its doubts about the strong military buildup
and hegemonic attitude of the totalitarian China. ..."

C) "Right People Make the Difference"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] said in an editorial (4/21):

"So President Chen Shui-bian has finally gotten the hang of things.
He sent a letter to the 'Wall Street Journal' clarifying his
policies just as Chinese President Hu Jintao prepares to meet with
US President George W. Bush. In his letter, Chen said exactly what
he should have been saying to the US all along: Taiwan has no
intention of making life hard for Washington, but has been forced to
take proactive measures to protect its democratic system from
Beijing. ... Given the US's schizophrenia over Taiwan, it is little
wonder that Chen was hoping to do something to generate goodwill in
Washington. US leaders have a sad history of allowing themselves to
be led around by the nose when the Chinese come calling, their
pockets stuffed with trade deals. ...

"The Presidential Office should now be commended for its
preparations for Hu's visit to the US, which included a flurry of
activity in the last week between Washington and Taipei to ensure
that there was nothing that would give the White House a reason to
crack down on Taiwan. No less importantly, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan are clearly executing
their roles properly. It may be simplistic to ascribe this simply
to personnel changes, but the lines of communication between the two
governments have clearly improved. What a difference a de facto
ambassador makes."

D) "Bush Takes a Preemptive Move with Regard to the Taiwan Issue,
While Hu Tries to Secure Each Inch of His Territory"

Washington correspondent Vincent Chang said in a news analysis in
the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000]
(4/21):

"... There were many issues on the agenda of the Bush-Hu meeting
this time. But these issues can be classified into two major parts
depending on the U.S. interest: One part is how the United States
thinks China can play the role of a 'responsible stakeholder;' and
the other part is that Washington would want Hu to define and carry
out the theory of '[China's] peaceful development.' ...

"On the surface, the United States seemed to have offered China a
beautiful garland of being a 'responsible stakeholder' to wear on
its head." But in reality, it wants to urge China to fulfill the
commitments made when it joined the World Trade Organization,
namely, flexibly adjusting the exchange rates of the Renminbi and
opening its market to the U.S. products. Also, in terms of North
Korea's and Iran's nuclear programs and the campaign against
terrorism, Washington does not want to see China 'walk the road as
it pleases ' but desires to restrain the direction of China's rise.
It remains doubtful whether China will really listen to the United
States. ..."

E) "A Summit That Is Friendly But Produces No Substantive Results"

Cheng Rei-yao, chief of the Department of American and European
Studies at National Chengchi University's Institute of International
Relations, opined in the pro-unification "United Daily News"
[circulation: 400,000] (4/21):

"... Hu Jintao wants to create an international image and status as
a leader of a big nation, maintain China's stable relationship with
the United States, alleviate bilateral trade conflicts, and seek to
create a strategic climate and opportunities for China's peaceful
development. In general, except for the Taiwan issue, for which
Beijing hopes to get an immediate response from Washington,
Beijing's objectives lie in the medium- and long-term management [of
the China-U.S. relationship]. As long as it can handle Washington's
requests in the short term, Beijing is not so anxious to resolve the
trade, economic, and international issues that the United States is
concerned about. In addition, Beijing believes that the United
States will need China more and more as China keeps developing.
..."

YOUNG