MEDIA REACTION: KMT CHAIRMAN MA YING-JEOU'S TRIP TO JAPAN,

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002424 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: KMT CHAIRMAN MA YING-JEOU'S TRIP TO JAPAN, AFTERMATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RECALL ATTEMPT, NORTH KOREA ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their coverage July 18 on President Chen Shui-bian's meeting with high-ranking DPP officials Monday regarding whether he should step down, and the cancellation of his planned meeting that evening with legislators; the Taiwan High Court's request that the Taipei District Court review whether to withdraw President Chen's son-in-law's bail; new developments in the Donald Keyser espionage case; and the plan of several well-known Taiwan doctors to practice medicine in a hospital set up by a Taiwan business group in China. The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a banner headline on page two that read "Bian Meets with DPP Heavyweights, Who Urge Him Neither to Resign Nor to Withdraw from Party." The pro-status quo "China Times," on the other hand, carried the results of its latest survey on page two, which showed that 44 percent of those polled supported a recent declaration by some pro-Green scholars calling for President Chen's resignation; 47 percent said they believe such a move would have a positive impact on Taiwan's democratic development. The same poll also found that 67 percent of respondents said they are displeased with the DPP's recent performance, while 48 percent believe that to save the DPP's image, the party should either expel Chen or he should withdraw from the party. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" editorial criticized KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's pro-China nature. A "China Times" analysis discussed President Chen's crisis management and said the Presidential Office and Chen are both on the brink of losing control. An editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," however, said Chen's resignation would not solve anything and it would not be helpful to pro-localization forces in the long term. With regard to the North Korea issue, an editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" said Taiwan should focus on expressing its concern for regional peace and opposition to any military action, including Pyongyang's provocative missile tests or any "pre-emptive" military action by the U.S. or Japan. End summary. �0A; ¶3. KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's Trip to Japan "Ma Ying-jeou's Japan Tour Thoroughly Exposes His Pro-China Nature" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] editorialized (7/18): "Ma Ying-jeou departed hurriedly for a trip to Japan before Typhoon Bilis hit Taiwan last week. He traveled in the name of observing Japan's municipal administration, but in reality it was a trip of political party diplomacy. The real purpose of Ma's trip was to remove Japan's doubts about his pro-China, anti-Japan mentality. But Ma's behavior and remarks in Japan not only failed to clear up his pro-China, anti-Japan image but also helped to expose his pro-China and anti-Japan nature. ... "During his trip to the United States in March, Ma called on China to regard Taiwan independence as its major enemy and the ROC as its secondary enemy. Since Ma is interested in running for president, he should at least acknowledge that Taiwan is a sovereign state. But on the contrary, Ma regards Taiwan the sovereign state as his enemy, and he even desired to join China to destroy Taiwan's sovereignty. This is the true essence of Ma's thinking, and while in Japan, he claimed that he just 'followed Japan's suit' to acknowledge China. In our views, after Ma's Japan trip, perhaps more Japanese people would like to ask him: 'Your position is basically the same as Beijing's. Don't you feel uncomfortable about it?'" ¶4. Aftermath of the Presidential Recall Attempt A) "Bian's Crisis Management on Brink of Losing Control" Journalist Wu Tien-jung commented in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (7/18): "Despite President Chen's efforts to maintain the image that he is still in control, his rash decision to call a meeting yesterday evening but cancel it soon afterwards indicated that both the Presidential Office and Chen himself are on the brink of losing control. Let's just put the cases related to Wu Shu-chen aside; even on the political level, Chen's remarks and behavior appeared to be in a straitened circumstance. For example, when he met with pro-independence heavyweights Sunday, he passively expressed that he is willing to push for rectification of Taiwan's name and writing Taiwan a new constitution. Yet just a month ago when receiving AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt, Chen reiterated his Four Nos pledge. Burghardt also responded in public that he was glad Chen would no longer push for constitutional reforms that are related to Taiwan sovereignty. How is Bian going to resolve such inconsistency? "The answer is: He can't. In terms of Taiwan-U.S. relations, for the past two years, in order not to harm Taiwan, Washington has adopted a way of 'publicly criticizing Bian' to deal with Bian's repeated failures to keep his commitments. In addition to President Bush's public criticism, the Bian administration must still remember the State Department's ruthless remarks early this year. ... "What's worse than the U.S. criticism is that if Bian really starts to push for writing Taiwan a new constitution and rectifying Taiwan's name, Washington's reason for opposing President Annette Lu to replace Chen will disappear completely. This is because Bian's unpredictability is higher than that of Lu and he has stronger motives (i.e., to secure his presidency) than Lu has to push for extreme independence. ..." B) "DPP Must Swallow Its Pride" The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (7/18): "... But even then, would the president stepping down solve anything, and would it be helpful to pro-localization forces in the long term? The answer is a resound 'No.' It would be an unmitigated disaster for the pro-localization movement and would leave a stain on the pan-green camp's reputation that would be hard to erase. ... "Some DPP members think the president has become a liability for the party. They believe it will be difficult for candidates to convince the electorate that what the president's close aides and family have allegedly been up to has no bearing on their ability to be a good councilor or mayor. In a highly partisan political climate this may be true, but what the pan-green camp needs now more than ever is a show of unity. The president may have been nave or even downright foolish, but public requests from people within his own party for him to step down will only prolong the agony for the DPP and present the public with the image of a party in disarray. ..." ¶5. North Korea "Taiwan Should Focus on Peace in Korea" The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 20,000] noted in an editorial (7/18): "... North Korea's missile tests have delivered a stunning blow to the 'sunlight policy' adopted by former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung and continued under current head-of-state Roh Moo-hyun and also aroused greater nationalistic tensions between South Korea and Japan and even with the U.S. that are rooted in the complex history of the region during the past century. ... However, the close relations between Beijing and Kim Jung-il's regime in Pyongyang as well as between Beijing and Seoul provide the PRC with the space and influence to play an important 'buffer' role, even if international media reports indicate that Beijing seems to be losing its capacity or willingness to rein in its North Korea allies. ... "Moreover, despite its vow to 'build a human rights state,' Taiwan's DPP government has shamefully refrained from criticizing Washington for its blatant use of 'state terror' in violating the Geneva conventions during the course of the 'war on terror' and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the illegal indefinite detention of prisoners in What Amnesty International has called a 'gulag' in the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. In return, Taiwan almost earned a place on the list of likely targets for extremist Islamic terrorists and has had its commitment to peace and human rights questioned in the world progressive community, but did not gain any noticeable warming in its ties with Washington in return for this abandonment of principle. "We therefore believe that Taiwan should focus on expressing our concern for regional security and peace and opposition to any military action, including Pyongyang's provocative missile tests or any 'pre-emptive' military action by the U.S. or Japan, and the threat posed to the security of Taiwan and Japan itself by the PRC's provocative deployment of hundreds of tactical missiles. We can also continue to express our concern and willingness to offer humanitarian assistance and economic relief to the people of North Korea as part of peace efforts that focus on the fundamentals of alleviating poverty." YOUNG