MEDIA REACTION: DPRK NUCLEAR TEST, KMT CHAIRMAN MA

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003636 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: DPRK NUCLEAR TEST, KMT CHAIRMAN MA YING-JEOU'S INTERVIEW WITH BLOOMBERG ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave significant coverage October 25 to the Legislative Yuan session Tuesday, in which the U.S. arms procurement bill was blocked again, but a long-stalled bill to liquidate ill-gotten assets obtained by political parties was successfully placed on the legislative agenda. News coverage also focused on the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races; and on the remarks by Premier Su Tseng-chang and National Security Council Secretary General Chiou I-jen these past two days over whether President Chen Shui-bian will step down if he or the First Lady is involved in the alleged corruption scandal of the Presidential allowance for state affairs case. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentary, mass-circulation "Apple Daily" President James Tu commented on Pyongyang's recent nuclear test. Tu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been playing tricks on China and keeping the latter constantly on the run. An editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification "China Post" warned that "(a) nuclear arms race in East Asia is not in anyone's interest -- too easily, the threat could turn to war and the consequences could be devastating." Two papers commented on KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's proposed deal with China should his party win the 2008 presidential election, as reported in a recent interview with Bloomberg. An opinion piece in the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest-circulation daily, and an editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" both criticized Ma. As the "Taipei Times" said, "his words are designed to put Taiwan right into China's 'united front' trap and are a betrayal of public expectations." End summary. ¶3. DPRK Nuclear Test A) "Kim Jong-il's Tricks Keep China Constantly on the Run" Mass-circulation "Apple Daily" President James Tu opined in his paper [circulation: 500,000] (10/25): "North Korea's nuclear test has drawn the whole world's attention, and East Asian countries, in particular, have reacted most strongly to it. But China is the one that felt most embarrassed by such a move. ... Some Western analysts believe that even though China is openly opposed to nuclear weapons proliferation on the Korean peninsula, it is privately very happy to see such a development. The reason is very simple: even if Pyongyang is in possession of nuclear weapons, its hypothetical enemy will not be China. As long as Pyongyang finds it very difficult to get rid of its reliance on China, its increasing threats to Japan, the United States, and South Korea will become useful bargaining chips for China during its negotiations with these countries. "In addition, China has long been surrounded by countries possessing nuclear weapons; it will not feel more insecure with North Korea added to the list. Some people in China also share the same view, so people outside China naturally believe that Beijing has no fear of North Korea's nuclear program. But Pyongyang has always been a sensitive headache for Beijing, which finds it very difficult to handle. ... The Chinese authorities used to be divided into three groups, each having different views about how to deal with North Korea. The first group regards Pyongyang as a buffer zone between China and the United States, Japan, and South Korea, viewing it as [a tool] of high strategic value to Beijing. ... The second group saw increasingly evident conflicts between China and North Korea in recent years and concluded that Pyongyang is an undependable ally. ... They believed the Pyongyang regime would fall apart sooner or later, so China had to be well prepared. The third group was the radical one; they believed that Pyongyang not only would not feel gratitude toward China but would also become the source of China's future disasters. They thought China should take a preemptive move as early as possible to transform the North Korean regime. "Even though each of the three groups had its own view, and they also shared something in common: they failed to do anything to change North Korea. Now that the series of moves by Pyongyang has practically driven China into a corner and put it in a dilemma, ... it will be a puzzle even for Hu Jintao to come up with China's next step to deal with Pyongyang." B) "What Is Peace?" The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (10/25): "... Let us return to the recent nuclear test by North Korea. This is an example of state paranoia run wild. ... The North Koreans say they need nuclear weapons for defense against the United States. If this were so, the United States could easily use its nuclear forces to turn North Korea into a radioactive wasteland with a preemptive strike. A nuclear arms race in East Asia is not in anyone's YING-JEOU'S INTERVIEW WITH BLOOMBERG interests -- too easily, threat could turn to war and the consequences could be devastating. "A cold war may be better than a hot war. Peace of a kind prevails in East Asia, but for how long? Japan, which has seen the only nuclear weapons attack in anger against it, may feel that it is necessary to rearm. China, which has used its North Korean ally as a junkyard dog to threaten the West, may find its dog is very hard to control from now on." ¶4. KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's interview with Bloomberg A) "No Independence, No Force, Irresponsible [Remarks]" DPP China Affairs Director Lai I-chung opined in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] (10/25): "Chairman Ma said again during a recent interview that his policy is that 'Taiwan will not declare independence and China will not use force against [Taiwan].' Ma believes that this way the 'status quo can thus be maintained,' and that this is something Taiwan should do as a 'responsible stakeholder.' But in reality, 'no independence on Taiwan's part, and no use of force on China's part' will not only be unable to maintain the status quo but will also deal a destructive blow to Taiwan's democracy, because it excludes the Taiwan people's right to determine their future in a democratic way. In the face of China's military threat, there is no shortcut for Taiwan. The only thing Taiwan can do is to strengthen its national defense, pass the arms procurement bill, and deepen its security cooperation with the United States and Japan. Only by modifying the tilted military balance in China's favor can Taiwan become a 'responsible stakeholder' in the Taiwan Strait. ..." B) "Ma Offers No Peaceful Alternative" The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (10/25): "... While Ma's comments are an improvement over his previously nave remark that unification is the KMT's eventual goal and his suggestion of putting aside long-term concerns to focus on the short and mid-term peaceful development of cross-strait relations, they still show a distinct lack of Taiwanese consciousness. His words are designed to put Taiwan right into China's 'united front' trap and a betrayal of public expectations. ... "There are several major flaws in Ma's plan. First, it is a denial of Taiwan's sovereignty. If the winner of the 2008 presidential election denies that Taiwan is an independent country, how would he or she be any different from the leaders of Hong Kong and Macau? Second, the agreement would strangle Taiwan's future. ... But inking a 'one China' consensus would put Taiwan on a one-way road to unification, severely limiting the country's future options... Third, the conditions for a cross-strait peace agreement are unequal. ... If Taipei were to sacrifice future possibilities in exchange for Beijing's promise not to attack the country in the short or medium term, Taiwan would be walking straight into China's trap without getting anything in return. Fourth, a cross-strait peace agreement could become an excuse for China to take military action against Taiwan. Such an agreement would guarantee that the cross-strait status quo is maintained for a period of time. But if Taiwan refuses to accept China's demand for unification after the expiration of the agreement, Beijing could attack Taiwan by claiming that it has declared independence or that the preconditions for unification no longer exist. ..." YOUNG