MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ, U.S.' TAIWAN POLICY

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001549 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - BROOKE SPELLMAN DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ, U.S.' TAIWAN POLICY ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued to focus news coverage July 11 on the legislators' elections and the presidential election slated for early 2008. Almost all papers also reported in the first few pages that footwear prices in Taiwan will go up by 30 percent after the Ministry of Finance announced Tuesday that it will levy an anti-dumping tax of 43.46 percent for five years on shoes imported from China. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" discussed the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq. The article said the war has dealt a catastrophic blow to the U.S. image, making the U.S. prestige in the international community drop to a record low. A column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" also chimed in by saying the war in Iraq has produced numerous seeds of hatred for the United States in the Islamic countries, which will become booby traps for the United States in the future. An op-ed piece in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," on the other hand, discussed the United States' Taiwan policy and said now is the time "for the U.S. to reconsider its policy toward Taiwan in response to the changing climate in East Asia." End summary. ¶3. Iraq A) "A War Piled up with Blood and Cash" Columnist Antonio Chiang said in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (7/11): "... The war in Iraq has dealt a catastrophic blow to the U.S. image and has slashed the U.S. prestige in the international community to a record low. The Bush administration's abuse of hard power has resulted in severe damage of the United States' soft power. The Democratic Party, [as a result,] regained control of both the Senate and the House during last year's mid-term elections, while the morale of the Republican Party collapsed. The Bush team, which has been floating up and down in the mighty current of war, has failed to find anything it can hold on to. A huge number of American soldiers who have given their blood and lives in Iraq were unaware of what they were fighting for. It is fortunate that the United States adopts a voluntary military service system now, instead of the conscription system used during the Vietnam War, or the anti-war sentiments would have shattered the Bush administration by now." B) "Is [President] Bush a 'Transformer of Deception?'" Journalist Shen Pei-chun wrote in the "United Notes" column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (7/11): "... Within four years, [U.S. President George W.] Bush has used the fire of revenge as a hotbed, which created numerous seeds of hatred against the United States in Islamic countries. These seeds will grow into booby traps for the United States in the future, and no one will be able to predict when they will go off or how destructive they will be. The war in Iraq was supposed to be a war on terrorism, but the war itself has transformed into the biggest terrorist activity in recent years. The purpose of this war has recently been glamorized by Bush verbally as [a move] for Iraq to 'stand at a historical turning point to pursue democracy and freedom for the Middle East'; in other words, Iraq will be a model of democracy for the Middle East. "It is a pity that, even if democracy can be exported and imported freely, it cannot be implanted by force. As suggested by its meaning, democracy means that it is the people who should make the decisions. It may become another bizarre form of totalitarianism if a country determines for another country by force the form its democracy [shall take]. ..." ¶4. U.S.' Taiwan Policy "Time for the US to Rethink Its Taiwan Policy" Professor Chen Hurng-yu of Tamkang University opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (7/11): "How the US sees the legal status of Taiwan has an important influence on the state of affairs in East Asia. A common opinion internationally is that the US uses Taiwan as a flexible [bargaining?] chip to dominate East Asian affairs. Only by viewing the status of Taiwan as undetermined can the US use uncertainty in East Asia to its advantage. This opinion only looks at the situation from the US position, with the US' particular strategic consideration in mind. If we look at Washington's position on Taiwan since the Korean War, the US has always used Taiwan as a check and balance on China. The US has left the Taiwan issue hanging and its legal status unsettled. Some aspects of this dual tactic won the approval of the government in Taipei, which adopted some measures that were in accordance with US policy. ... "Now in the post-Cold War era, there's no need for the US to avoid the Taiwan issue. It should continue to acknowledge that Taiwan is governed by its own government and belongs to the people of Taiwan. The more the US avoids the Taiwan issue, or keeps putting off taking a stand, the more pressure it will face from Beijing. This is not good for the US or Taiwan. Washington should not keep reiterating that Taiwan should maintain the status quo. If the US takes the position that it respects the will of the Taiwanese people and allows the UN to intervene in a crisis, then this position will win the support of the majority of countries and people, at keep curbing Beijing's military might in check. It's been 18 years [sic] since the US broke off diplomatic relations with the ROC. Now it's time for the US to reconsider its policy toward Taiwan in response to the changing climate in East Asia." YOUNG