MEDIA REACTION: THE DPP'S "NORMAL COUNTRY RESOLUTION"

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002205 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: THE DPP'S "NORMAL COUNTRY RESOLUTION" ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage September 27 on the police crackdown of peaceful anti-government protesters in Yangon, Myanmar Wednesday; on the DPP's controversial "normal country resolution;" and on DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun's announcement of his resignation today. Several major Chinese-language papers also reported on their inside pages AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young's meeting with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng Wednesday, in which Young told Wang that Washington will give neither a price quote nor a letter of consent by the end of October for the 60 F-16C/D fighter jets that Taiwan intends to buy. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" criticized the DPP for playing the word game with regard to the phrasing in the party's "normal country resolution." An op-ed in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," however, urged the DPP to include the words "correcting the nation's official title to Taiwan" in its "normal country resolution." End summary. A) "How Many Times More Is [Taiwan] Going to Play Such a Word Game as in the '[Normal County] Resolution?'" The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (9/27): "... The debut of 'Bian's version of the [normal country] resolution,' if judged from a positive perspective, can be viewed as [a result created by] Chen Shui-bian, who has finally sensed pressure from the international community and decided pragmatically to adjust all the rallies [he has mobilized] calling for rectifying Taiwan's name, and restrict them for domestic consumption only. In other words, [Chen] has set the tone for the DPP's campaigning for the 2008 presidential election, which will focus on the UN referendum and will not involve the writing of a new constitution and changing the island's national name. "Regardless of the question of whether such an adjustment will be able to convince the United States, what really matters is whether [the resolution] will be able to convince the middle-of-the-road voters in Taiwan, who have tried to put up with the DPP's ideological governance style for more than seven years. When will the DPP, which has been established for 21 years and become the ruling party for over seven years, be willing to stop doing so? ..." B) "Resolution Must Include 'Taiwan'" Cao Changqing, a Chinese free-lance political commentator based in the U.S., opined in the pro-independence "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (9/27): "... The name 'Taiwan' is the DPP's trump card. Dropping this card and following Ma toward the center would be a mistake in the principle as well as in strategy. Playing the 'Taiwan' card can not only consolidate the pan-green camp, but also build support for the DPP. Statistics from the Government Information Office show there have been more than 1,600 reports published by the international media reflecting the Taiwanese government's active UN bid this year. This figure is four to eight time more than in past years. ... "Clearly, only if Taiwanese speak up and reveal the truth will they be able to elicit sincere support. ... At the same time, all DPP supporters should advocate the inclusion of the words 'correcting the nation's official tile to Taiwan' in the 'normal country resolution.' History is in the making." YOUNG