MEDIA REACTION: PENTAGON REPORT ON CHINA'S MILITARY POWER

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001791

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: PENTAGON REPORT ON CHINA'S MILITARY POWER



1. Summary: Taiwan's dailies all gave front-page coverage May 25 to
the prosecutors' questioning of President Chen Shui-bian's in-laws
Wednesday and the detention of Chen's son-in-law Thursday morning
for his alleged role in a snowballing insider trading scandal.
Coverage also focused on the U.S. Defense Department's 2006 report
on China's military power; talks between Taiwan and Chinese military
officials scheduled in July in Hawaii; the DPP's disputed nomination
process for the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races; and
other local corruption scandals. The pro-independence "Taiwan
Daily" front-paged: "United States Urges [Taiwan and China to] Talk
about Cross-Strait Military Buffer Zone in July." The pro-status
quo "China Times" also ran a banner headline on an inside page with
the headline "United States Invites Both Sides [of the Taiwan
Strait] for Military Talks Next Month." The "Taiwan Daily," in
addition, ran a banner headline on page three that read "U.S.
Defense Department Report Warns That [China] Needs to Assess
Possibility of U.S. and Japanese Involvement If It Uses Force
Against Taiwan."


2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, criticized
pan-Blue legislators for blocking the U.S. arms procurement bill
while the U.S. Defense Department report warns of unbalanced
military powers across the Taiwan Strait. A "China Times" analysis,
on the other hand, said that even though China-U.S. military
exchanges have been going on for over twenty years, the United
States still cannot figure out how to assess China's intentions and
its force operations. End summary.

A) "United States Is Concerned About Unbalanced Military Powers in
Taiwan Strait. What About Us?"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000]
editorialized (5/25):

"... Over the past few years, when the United States published its
annual report on China's military, it always reminded the world of
the potential threat to world peace caused by China's rise. The
unbalanced military powers across the Taiwan Strait are, in
particular, a focus of U.S. concern. Washington's consent to sell
major weaponry to Taiwan, such as submarines, anti-missile systems,
and anti-submarine aircraft, is aimed at strengthening Taiwan's
defense capabilities, deterring China's aggression to invade
[Taiwan], and ensuring cross-Strait and world peace. It is a pity
that the pan-Blue camp keep blocking the arms procurements, a move
that is akin to tearing down Taiwan's defense capabilities; and [the
pan-Blue camp's] joining hands with Chinese Communist Party to
restrain Taiwan is also designed to tear down Taiwan's psychological
defense capabilities. Once Taiwan's national and psychological
defenses both fall apart, perhaps China can annex Taiwan without
having to waste any single soldier or bullet. ..."

B) "United States Fails to Figure out China's Strategic Thinking"

Journalist Chi Lo-i wrote in a news analysis in the pro-status quo
"China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (5/25):

"Chinese people are indeed difficult to understand. The fifty-page
report on 'The Military Power of the PRC' fully reveals the United
States' bitter anxiety and expectations for strengthening military
exchanges with Beijing. Military exchanges between China and the
United States have been going on for over twenty years, but the
United States still cannot figure out how Beijing exercises its
strategic powers. This is the major concern expressed in this
year's 'China Military Power Report.' ...

"The military power report lists in detail the general directions of
Beijing's hawkish force, pointing out how many of these moves are
aimed at Taiwan. But behind all its intelligence obtained from
surveillance, the United States has no idea about how to assess
Beijing's intentions or weapons operations. ... The U.S. idea, as
indicated in the report, is that the more it cannot figure out, the
more it needs to strengthen communication [with China]. Strictly
speaking, this year's China military power report is more or less
the same as last year's. It is a result of [Washington's]
evaluation following continued observation. Political motives
aside, its description of the external developments of Beijing's
military power is, in general, objective. ..."

YOUNG