MEDIA REACTION: U.S. AND CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000761 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. AND CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS ¶1. Summary: As Taiwan'smajor Chinese-language dailies centered their reporting March 9 on the government's management of state-run property, Taiwan's foreign relations, and other local issues, coverage also focused on the aftermath of President Chen Shui-bian's announcement of the cessation of the National Unification Council (NUC) and National Unification Guidelines (NUG). The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a news story on its page two that quoted TECRO Chief David Lee as saying Taiwan and the United States will soon reach a consensus over the NUC and NUG matter. The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" ran a banner headline on its front page that read: "[Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard] Armitage Says the Cessation of the NUC and NUG Will Not Affect Cross- Strait Relations." The sub-headline added: "Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Visits Taiwan and Says Beijing's Reaction [Toward the NUC and NUG Matter] Is Within Expectations. Supports Taiwan's Push for a New Constitution As Long As It Is in Line with [the Island's] Public Opinion." The "Liberty Times" and "Taiwan Daily" ran in their inside pages an opinion survey released by Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation that reported: 33.1 percent of those polled said they support Taiwan independence; 26.9 percent say they support maintaining the status quo; and 21.8 percent say they support unification with China. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" editorial reflected on the cross-Strait crisis in 1996 and called on the government to pass the U.S. arms procurement package as early as possible. A "Taiwan Daily" editorial urged Washington to pay attention to Taiwan's mainstream public opinion, saying that the cessation of the NUC and NUG is a road that Taiwan must follow. An editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English- language "Taipei Times" strongly criticized Washington officials, saying that so along as they try to analyze Taiwan through the lens of what best serves the U.S. interests, their understanding of Taiwan will be wrong. Lo Chih-cheng, executive director of the Institute for National Policy Research, also opined in the "Taipei Times" that with the conclusion of the NUC matter, "Taiwan has won the right to interpret the `status quo' and to interpret what constitutes a change to the `status quo.'" Washington correspondent Norman Fu, writing for the pro-status-quo "China Times," described the Chen administration's current mood as "waiting for the other shoe to drop." End summary. A) "China Test-fired Missiles at Taiwan Ten Years Ago; What About Taiwan in the Future?" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] editorialized (3/9): ". Over the past ten years, China's national defense budget has increased at a two-digit rate; it now ranks the third highest in the world, next to that of the United States, and Russia. Even the world's superpower, the United States, is very concerned that China's non-peaceful rise will seriously threaten the world's peace and stability. In the face of China's military threat, Taiwan should pass the [U.S.] arms procurement package as early as possible so that Taiwan has the capabilities to safeguard the island's national security and protect the lives and property of the Taiwan people, as well as its democratic system. It is a pity, however, that the opposition parties are blocking the arms procurement bill and they do not recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign state. They refuse [to accept] the island's elected government and seek to block every proposal made by the government; it seems they are standing by China's side and have no concern for the Taiwan people. Judged from all these [signals], it seems that even though it has been a decade since the cross-Strait crisis of 1996, the latent crisis in the Taiwan Strait has only become more serious. The 23 million people of Taiwan ., as a result, should unite together to be prepared for possible future perils and threats. All the more, [we] should strengthen Taiwan's security and do our best to develop [Taiwan's] economy." B) "The United States Should Pay Attention to Taiwan's Public Opinion That Loves Peace and Opposes Aggression; It Should Attach Great Importance to China's Intention to Use Force to Annex Taiwan and Its Aggressiveness" The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 100,000] wrote in an editorial (3/9): ". It seems that the United States has deliberately used some diplomatic maneuvering to spin Taiwan's `cessation of the NUC and NUG.' Even though this development was a result of Taiwan's opposition parties' malicious attempts to create trouble by [playing with the words] 'cease? abolish?', the international community seems to have failed to realize that the `cessation of the NUC and NUG' is a road that `democratic Taiwan' must follow. This is because the Taiwan people want to protect their homeland from being annexed and turned into part of the territory of the `authoritarian China.' When Washington showed its concern [over Taiwan's cessation of the NUC and NUG] and when [the Taiwan government] designated the `Anti-Aggression Day' as a national holiday, we should speak out loud to the international community to let the world know Taiwan's determination to pursue the universal values of democracy!" C) "Is the US Asleep at the Wheel?" The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (3/9): "US politicians and military officers think that Taiwan exists solely for the benefit for - or as a detriment to - US-China relations. This blissfully egocentric attitude has been the source of much confusion in cross-strait relations, and could lead Washington to make a major miscalculation jeopardizing its strategic position in the Western Pacific. The problem is that the US has demonstrated it has little understanding of the forces that drive domestic politics in Taiwan. Taiwan's relationship with China is merely one part of the equation for local politicians, and they do not score points by keeping their mouths shut about it. . "So long as Washington's officials and think tanks try to analyze Taiwan through the lens of what best serves US interests, they are going to get it wrong. At a Senate Arms Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, this mentality was on full display. . From the senator's [i.e. Senator John Warner] perspective, Chen acted `inappropriately' because his decision complicated things for the US. Taiwan may owe a lot to the US, but his certainly doesn't mean that Washington can expect to dictate the decisions made by Taiwan's elected officials. . "Clearly Chen believes that he and his party stand to gain from getting tough with China, and the council [i.e. NUC] decision was a part of this strategy. Surely this is not beyond the understanding of those in the US Senate. . Unfortunately for the large number of officials in the US who would rather Taiwan just keep its mouth shut and sit dutifully in the corner, every indication is that local politicians will continue to shake things up. So since some in Washington appear to need to have the situation spelled out kindergarten-style, here it is: Until (at least) the presidential election in 2008, expect cross-strait relations to be a headache. There are going to be some bitter political battles fought here between the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT),and much of the fighting will be over issues that strike at the heart of Taiwan's relationship with China. That will mean the US will have to be very proactive in dealing with Taiwan. Is it prepared to be so?" D) "NUC Spat May Herald New Sense of Mission" Lo Chih-cheng, executive director of the Institute for National Policy Research, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (3/9): "President Chen Shui-bian's announcement to `cease' the National Unification Council and its guidelines highlighted the US' passiveness in promoting cross-strait dialogue. . Clearly, Washington is the only one that can push Beijing to consider the restart of talks with Taipei. However, although Washington regards itself to be a facilitator to cross-strait talks, if it only advises Beijing orally, the effectiveness has been proven limited. From now on, Washington will need to take proactive moves to push Beijing into a dialogue with Taipei. "Chen's announcement has also underlined the necessity for the US to review its balancing role on the cross-strait issue. Washington has always defined the `status quo' in the Strait as `no independence, no war' - based on the principle that no one shall change the `status quo' unilaterally. But its concern over the `independence' part of the equation has far outweighed its concern for `no war.' . US tolerance will only allow China to go further, pushing Taiwan toward being united by China or even annexed. If Taiwan does not fight back, then the `status quo' is likely to drift toward a situation unfavorable to Taiwan. "Therefore, since Washington has only had a minimal response to Beijing's `no war' pronouncements, Taipei deserves the right to draw a red line between itself and Beijing. . The cessation of the unification council and guidelines is Taiwan's declaration to the international society: We will never tolerate China's irrational threats. In short, in order to secure peace and safety in the Strait, in addition to righting the military balance, we need to pursue political deterrence. Taiwan must also strive for the right to define and judge the `status quo,' while making its bottom line clear and give itself an unassailable position. The NUC incident was finally ended by `one cessation, with each side making its own interpretation.' Through this action, Taiwan has won the right to interpret the `status quo' and to interpret what constitutes a change to the `status quo.' This may well be a turning point." E) "[Chen Shui-bian] Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop" Washington correspondent Norman Fu said in the "Washington Outlook" column in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (3/9): ". Since the U.S. State Department dealt a heavy blow to the Bian administration last week, the latter has become smarter by laying low or even playing deaf and blind and not daring to say anything. But still, [the Bian administration] is trying to deceive itself and others by spreading the news about how inconsistent various agencies inside the Bush administration have been in handling Taiwan's `cessation of the NUC and NUG.' In reality, the U.S. government, ranging from the White House to the State Department and to the AIT Taipei Office, have been acting uniformly and undisputedly [regarding the NUC matter]. The Bian administration spread the news out of wishful thinking, mainly because it is trying to deceive those Taiwan people who have no clue of what's going on. . [Let's] just hope that when `the other shoe drops,' it drops lightly and not heavily and that it `knocks Bian out.' ." KEEGAN