MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN SEVERING DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH COSTA

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001294

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN SEVERING DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH COSTA
RICA, U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS



1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news
coverage June 8 on Taiwan's cutting diplomatic ties with Costa Rica
after the latter decided to establish relations with China; on
former President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Japan's Yasukuni Shrine
Thursday; on the cooperation between Taiwan and U.S. authorities in
raiding a human trafficking ring in Taiwan; and on other local
issues. In terms of editorials and commentaries, most papers
editorialized on Taiwan's cutting diplomatic ties with Costa Rica.
An editorial in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily," an analysis in
the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times," and an editorial in the
pro-unification "United Daily News" all criticized the Chen
Shui-bian administration for its foreign policy and for the
deterioration in Taiwan-U.S. relations. With regard to
U.S.-China-Taiwan relations, an editorial in the
limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" urged the DPP government to listen to the warnings
given by the American Chamber of Commerce in its annual white paper.
An editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence,
English-language "Taiwan News," however, urged the United States to
compel China to abide by the universal standards for human rights
and support Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization. End
summary.


2. Taiwan Severing Diplomatic Ties with Costa Rica

A) "Taiwan Has Violated a Big Strategic Taboo in Terms of Its
Foreign Relations"

The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000]
editorialized (6/8):

"... The fact that the United States failed to support Taiwan in
Central and South America was a misfortune caused by the Bian
authorities' maxing out the credit of Taiwan-U.S. relations. Taiwan
must not blame anyone. The truth lies very clearly before us: When
Taiwan-U.S. relations get cold, Taiwan will not be able to compete
with China diplomatically. If the island does not want to concede,
it had better be prepared to sever ties with all its allies. ..."

B) "Bian's Cutthroat Diplomacy; Costa Rica Becomes the First
Domino"

Journalist Lin Shui-ling noted in an analysis in the centrist,
KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (6/8):

"... Chen Shui-bian's foreign policies lately have all been focused
on winning the 2008 election, fortifying Taiwan's defense works and
drawing a clear line with Beijing. He lashed out at China's
suppression on the one hand, and in the meantime, he launched an
all-out campaign for name change, the writing of a new constitution,
and even a bid to join the World Health Organization and the United
Nation under the name Taiwan. With the rising flames of war,
relations between both sides of the Taiwan Strait deteriorate
gradually, and even the United States cannot stop A-Bian's
determination. ...

"Following the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and
Costa Rica, Chen has extended the battlefront to the UN General
Assembly, which will be held in New York in September, and intends
to apply for membership for the UN using the name Taiwan. Even
though the U.S. State Department has made it very clear that it will
not support [Taiwan's bid], Bian remains firm in pushing for it by
spending a tremendous amount of money on lobbying by public
relations companies and on holding video conferences to build up
momentum. Is it any wonder some people are worried about whether
Costa Rica will become the first domino [in Central America]? ...

"The United States has played a very important role behind the fact
that Taiwan, given the big gap between its national strength and
that of China, has been able to maintain more than 20 diplomatic
allies over the past few years. Be it Central America, also known
as 'the backyard of the United States,' the South Pacific island
nations which are situated in the strategic position of the Pacific
chain, or the African area, the United States has had helped Taiwan
in many ways, because it does not want to see Beijing lure away all
[Taiwan's] allies.

"But in the wake of Bian's making it clear that he did not care
about the United States and would continue his policy of confronting
Beijing, Washington also started to take a stand -- first it
penalized Taiwan by saying there would be no talks for the free
trade agreement, and it remains to be seen whether Washington will
further alter its policy of supporting Taiwan to maintain an
appropriate number of diplomatic allies. ..."

C) "Is Costa Rica the First Domino?"

The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000]
RICA, U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS

editorialized (6/8):

"... Beijing easily snatching away Costa Rica [from Taiwan] revealed
the effects of its thorough planning in the region. Beijing's
diplomatic approach is to calculate every move carefully, something
that Taiwan's thoughtless showman diplomacy cannot compare with.
The reason why Beijing has yet to make a big move to lure away
Taiwan's major allies in Central America and the Caribbean was
because it has scruples about the United States' feeling about its
'backyard.' In this regard, the breaking of ties with Costa Rica
might not have happened at this moment if China had not sought
revenge for Taiwan's luring away of St. Lucia. The Bian
administration has finally reaped the bitter results of its
diplomatic provocations. ..."


3. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations

A) "AmCham's Warning Shouldn't Go Unheeded"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post"
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (6/8):

"The American Chamber of commerce (AmCham) in its latest annual
White Paper, pointed out that Taiwan's economy has fallen behind
other Asian tigers. The opinion deserves to be noticed by all those
who are concerned about Taiwan's future. ... Alleging that Taiwan
still has many key assets, including its strength in high-tech
manufacturing, that could enable it to continue to be a dynamic
player, [AmCham President Jane] Hwang added that the country's
future success will depend on 'whether the political and popular
will is present to tackle some underlying systematic problems.'
Such a will has been absent for a long time and is unlikely to
return as long as the DPP is in power. The party is always
preoccupied with how it can defeat its political rivals and seldom
thinks about problems relating to the island's economy."

B) "Democracy - the Only Way to 'Contain' China"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation:
20,000] editorialized (6/8):

"... China has been a hot topic of many discussions and seminars on
security issues worldwide in recent months for the very good reason
that the evaluation of various governments and parties of the
direction and character of China's rise as a possible challenge to
the international order shaped by the United States will directly
influence the strategic positioning and arrangements of the key
countries in defining their own relations with the U.S. and the PRC.
Clearly, the U.S., including the Republican administration of U.S.
President George W. Bush, sees the PRC as a potential threat in the
future, but it treats Beijing as a partner for short-term economic
and political interests, especially on issues such as curbing North
Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"There are unavoidable tensions between short-term priorities and
the long-term perspective as Washington's short-term arrangements
with the PRC will tend to encourage other influential countries to
adopt friendly policies toward Beijing, a trend that would favor
granting China a 'constructive role' in the international arena and
thus perhaps enhance its potential threat to U.S. hegemony. So far,
the Bush II administration has shown considerable awkwardness in
managing the adjustment between the long-term and short-term
interests, including in its management of the triangular relations
between an authoritarian PRC, a newly democratic Taiwan and the U.S.
itself. Although evidently identifying its role as a world
policeman against 'terror,' the Bush administration has exhausted
the U.S.' diplomatic, military and even economic capital by trying
to deal with a series of regional and global crises largely through
reliance on force.

"By treating the question of 'terrorism' primarily in military terms
as a 'war' conducted through invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the
U.S. has had to pay a high strategic price by inviting Beijing to
cooperate in helping Washington resolve crises such as the North
Korean nuclear controversy or even Iraq itself. By engaging in
short-term demonstrations of 'hard power' at the expense of
cultivation of long-term 'soft power,' Washington is undermining its
own international leadership which is not based only on material
strength but on the U.S.' past reputation as a promoter of
democracy, human rights, the rule of law and a stable global order.
Washington's current obsession with military power and domestic
security as crystallized in Bush's proclaimed 'war on terror' has
led U.S. decision-makers to neglect the primacy of the moral
obligation to protect human ideals and the potential damage of its
loss of moral leadership.

"The adoption by the current U.S. administration of a policy of
appeasement toward the PRC will only worsen matters by reinforcing
RICA, U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS

Washington's allies' incentives to accommodate themselves to
Beijing's substandard and bullying behavior in the international
arena, and by confounding the moral standard for the code of conduct
in the international arena. Taiwan's helplessness in apply for the
entry or even 'meaningful participation' in the World Health
Organization has revealed the power of the PRC's tactics of bullying
and the weakness of the moral fabric and will of international
society reminiscent of the tragic and costly failure of the world's
democracies to stand up to Nazi Germany in the 1930s, symbolized by
the betrayal of Republican Spain and democratic Czechoslovakia. ...

"Instead of giving into the PRC on all fronts, the best way for the
U.S. to rebuild its global image and 'soft power' is to display its
own respect for universal standards of morality by facing up to the
worsening crises of global warmings and global poverty, finding a
way to end the ongoing war in Iraq and closing the concentration
camp for hundreds of alleged 'terrorists' at the U.S. base in
Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. The U.S. has to lead as well as join the
world community in compelling the PRC to abide by the universal
standards for human rights at home and abroad. We believe
Washington can send important messages to Beijing by supporting
Taiwan's entry into humanitarian international organizations such as
the World Health Organization instead of bowing to Beijing's
pressure. ..."

YOUNG