MEDIA REACTION: KMT CHAIRMAN MA YING-JEOU'S U.S. TRIP

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000934 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 U.S. TRIP ¶1. Summary: As Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued March 21 to report on the freeway electronic toll collection system scandal, coverage also focused on the Taiwan High Court's investigation of the alleged 2004 "Soft Coup"; the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races; KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jou's U.S. trip; and the Ministry of Finance's decision Monday to replace the chairman of a local financial holding company. Almost all papers carried news stories and photos of new AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young's meeting with Foreign Minister James Huang Monday, the day after Young assumed office. They also reported on Young's statement that "the National Unification Council has been put into abeyance." The pro-status quo "China Times" spent half of its page four reporting on Ma's travels in the United States, while the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, spent one-third of its page four carrying an article written by Premier Su Tseng-chang elaborating on his pledge to improve Taiwan's public SIPDIS order. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, columnist Antonio Chiang opined in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" that during Ma's current trip to the United States, Ma has to answer questions regarding his attitudes toward the U.S. arms procurement bill, the United States, Japan, cross-Strait relations, and unification/independence issue. Journalist Hsiao Hsu-tseng said in a "China Times" news analysis that Ma is sending a strong message to Washington asserting the importance of the KMT's position in maintaining the status quo. End summary. A) "Re-education for Ma Ying-jeou" Columnist Antonio Chiang said in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 500,000] (3/21): "... The first question Ma must answer [during his trip to the United States] is about his attitude toward the U.S. arms procurement bill. Ma has worked out four major principles and has used them to respond to this question. But such a safe answer is basically a meaningless statement; Ma may be able to use it to handle the media in Taiwan, but Washington certainly will not accept such an answer. Since this question is closely related to Taiwan-U.S. military exchanges and [the United States'] assistance in defending Taiwan, there is no way Ma can avoid it. "The second question is about Ma's understanding of strategy in Asia; that is, what is his attitude toward the United States and Japan? Ma has a strong nationalistic awareness; like South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, he never wavered in his anti-Japan sentiments. ... Washington is concerned that Taiwan will have a leader similar to that of South Korea. Should that be the case, it would have a big impact on the United States' security strategy in East Asia and to the defense treaty between the United States and Japan. "The third question is about Ma's attitude toward the cross-Strait situation and toward the [issue of] unification/independence. Will he adopt a democratic and open-minded principle, or does he have an ultimate value judgment? What is his position toward the One China [policy]? In what way is he different from [former KMT Chairman] Lien Chan and [PFP Chairman] James Soong? How is he going connect with Taiwan society? ..." B) "Ma Talks about the KMT's Assertion: Maintaining the Status Quo" Journalist Hsiao Hsu-tseng said in a news analysis in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (3/21): "KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou departed for a trip to the United States, but even before he set foot in Washington, he had been storing up his energy and sending a strong message to the United States: "The KMT calls for maintaining the status quo, and that will remain true even when the KMT has a chance of becoming the ruling party." Evidently, this statement can be viewed as a compromised conclusion, reached after the process of dialecticism, from Ma's huge swinging from his prior 'ultimate unification' [comment] to [the KMT advertisement that allowed] 'listing Taiwan independence as a possible option [for the Taiwan people].' ... "It remains to be seen whether Washington-Beijing-Taipei relations will be affected by 'the right to define the cross-Strait status quo.' But Ma's strong message of 'maintaining the status quo,' thrown out during his U.S. trip ... has created a subtle and complicated butterfly impact on the United States and China, and the follow-up developments [in response to his statement] are definitely worth observation." YOUNG