MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S POLITICAL SITUATION, ASEAN

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002895

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - SCOTT WALKER
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A


TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S POLITICAL SITUATION, ASEAN
MEETING



1. Summary: As the multiple efforts to oust President Chen
Shui-bian and investigations into the Presidential Office's special
state affairs expense account stayed in the Taiwan media's spotlight
August 22, news coverage also focused on President Chen's planned
trip to Palau in early September, and cross-Strait interactions.
The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" ran a banner headline on page
three that read "Shock Wave of [Efforts] to Oust Bian, Stock Market
Plunges 215 Points." In terms of cross-Strait interaction, the
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a
banner headline on page four that said "In Terms of Chen Yunlin's
Planned Visit to the Island, Taiwan Calls on Officials of Both Sides
to Negotiate First."


2. Most Chinese papers editorialized on the campaign to unseat
President Chen, discussing the roles of scholars and lawyers in the
campaign, and the Assembly and Parade Law. An editorial in the
limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" said one of the reasons that Chen will not step down
easily is because he still has the support of the United States. An
editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence,
English-language "Taipei Times," however, criticized former DPP
Chairman Shih Ming-teh's method of unseating the president, saying
that democratic values and the rule of law should be placed above
and beyond the issue of protecting or keeping the president. In
terms of the ASEAN meeting, an editorial in the limited-circulation,
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" said the inclusion
of the "China factor" within the ASEAN arena, combined with the
policy of exclusion directed against the U.S. and Japan, will
"inevitably upset ASEAN's political equilibrium and revive the
historical nightmare of a hegemonic China." End summary.


3. Taiwan's Political Situation

A) "Waiting for Legal Action"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post"
[circulation: 30,000] (8/22):

"... Chen survived a legislative motion initiated by the opposition
in June to recall him, but pressure for him to resign has gained new
strength. However, many observers say prospects of bringing Chen
down are slim. Under the Constitution, the president is immune to
punishment for criminal offenses. To be in office for another one
and a half years, he has better resources to protect himself and his
family; to quit now is to give up all. Another reason is that he
still has the support of the U.S., Taiwan's mentor and protector.
Stephen Young, de facto U.S. ambassador in Taipei, has publicly
remarked that unless evidence showed Chen was involved in the
scandals, he should remain in office to maintain stability.

"On the other hand, should the number of people taking to the
streets to support Shih's sit-in prove overwhelming and if the
protest is prolonged, threatening the stability of Taiwan, the U.S.
has to stop supporting him. Then, he'll have to go. In short,
Washington, just like Taiwan's general public, is waiting for the
prosecution to take action against Chen. Before that, the chief of
state is innocent of any wrongdoing. The president's involvement in
the 'invoice-gate' case is indisputable. How long can the U.S. or
Taiwan's prosecutors further delay actions against an obvious
offender against the law?"

B) "The Rule of Law Must Come First"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] editorialized (8/22):

"Taiwan's opposition parties and interest groups are continuing to
call on President Chen Shui-bian to step down. There is no evidence
to support the view that the president has violated the law. We
should respect freedom of expression and the right of everyone to
air an opinion. But the actions and confrontational rhetoric of
those seeking Chen's resignation and those who want to protect him
are approaching rock-bottom. If these groups don't exercise
restraint, the nation may face a period of pronounced difficulty in
which democracy and the rule of law are sacrificed. ...

"Shih's cause to unseat the president through instigating a popular
uprising is wrong-headed. Taiwan is a democracy that has clear
legal requirements and procedures regulating the removal of a
president. The pan-blue camp's legislative recall motion failed and
Chen retains the legal right to govern. Organizing street protests
is not a good tactic, because if the president is forced to step
down as a result, it will set a bad precedent for this nation's
democracy. ... Both sides grapping with this issue have strong
arguments and public support, and neither side can easily defeat the
other. The goal of adhering to democratic values and the rule of

law should be placed above and beyond the issue of protecting or
unseating the president. ..."



4. ASEAN Meeting

"A New Path Needed in Asian Regionalism"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation:
20,000] editorialized (8/22):

"... ASEAN has focused on inviting Japan, South Korea and the
People's Republic of China, but not the Untied States, into the
ASEAN sphere, a trend that has sparked the monikers 'ASEAN+1,'
'ASEAN+3' or 'East Asian Community' in ASEAN international
conferences or forums. ... Accompanied by new notions of regional
cooperative framework, as well as the rise of China, the growing
consciousness of new Asian regionalism itself has emerged from
complex factors. On one hand, the sense of new Asian regionalism
signifies the increasing needs for regional cooperative arrangements
in the ASEAN with external powers, but also reflects long-standing
resentment in ASEAN toward both 'hegemonic' pressure from the U.S.
and other Western powers as well as Japan and widespread ambivalence
toward the rise of China. ...

"If ASEAN-based regional cooperative frameworks are to function
effectively, PRC involvement and inclusion is ultimately inevitable.
However, the direct inclusion of the 'China factor' within the
ASEAN arena, combined with the policy of exclusion directed against
the U.S. and Japan, will equally inevitably upset ASEAN's political
equilibrium and revive the historical nightmare of a hegemonic
China. Simultaneously, evidently strong desire in Washington and
Tokyo to return to the arena of ASEAN international affairs has also
made the atmosphere complicated and sensitive.

"There is also the question of how ASEAN will deal with Taiwan,
which remains a very important partner for the ASEAN countries in
economic, social, cultural and even security spheres. ... In short,
in the face of China's ruthless pressure, Taiwan has no feasible
choice but to be a good global citizen and an advocate of 'democracy
and peace' instead of either engaging in a 'bad guy' form of
brinkmanship or adopting a self-defeating and denigrating stance of
'peace,' with or without justice or democracy, 'at any price,' as
advocated by the opposition Kuomintang. As long as our existence
and values have been deeply incorporated into the regional or global
system, Taiwan need not fear being arbitrarily abandoned or
sacrificed."

YOUNG