MEDIA REACTION: WANG YOU-THENG'S CASE, TAIWAN'S NAME CHANGE

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000284 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - LLOYD NEIGHBORS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: WANG YOU-THENG'S CASE, TAIWAN'S NAME CHANGE PLAN, U.S.-CHINA ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave significant coverage February 3-5 to Wang You-theng, founder of the debt-ridden Rebar Group, and his wife, who are now both held in custody at the San Pedro Processing Center after having been refused admission to Singapore and returned to Los Angeles. News coverage also focused on the 2008 presidential elections and on former President Lee Teng-hui's recent remarks on Taiwan independence. The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's largest-circulation daily, front-paged a banner headline February 4 that said "Wang You-theng Detained; United States Will Decide the Disposition [of His Case] within the Week." The pro-unification "United Daily News," on the other hand, ran a banner headline on page four on February 4 that read "Change in [Its] Strategy toward Taiwan, Beijing Starts All-out [Effort] to Develop Relations with the Green [Camp]." ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" column strongly urged the United States not to accept Wang You-theng's request if he seeks political asylum in the United States. A "Liberty Times" editorial discussed the recent name change of two state-run enterprises, saying the move was meant to carry out the Taiwan-centered values and thereby transform Taiwan into a normal country. An op-ed piece in the "United Daily News," on the other hand, discussed Chinese President Hu Jintao's intensive visits to Africa and urged Washington to pay close attention to China's interaction with Sudan. End summary. ¶3. Wang You-theng's Case "Asylum for Criminals?" The "Free Talk" column in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 550,000] noted (2/5): "[Rebar Group founder] Wang You-theng put up a desperate fight in the United States, and sources said he might act on some experts' advice and seek political asylum there. It will be completely outrageous and humiliate the founding spirit of the United States if the U.S. immigration agency accepts his request. The United States might turn into an asylum for criminals if it does so. .... "How firm the Bush administration has been in dealing with terrorism; it waged wars against, and overthrew, the totalitarian regimes of Afghanistan and Iraq. Despite the fact that President Bush was lashed out by some people, he has won applause from many more people. As for Wang You-theng, he is clearly a criminal who hollowed out Taiwan's economy; he does not possess a U.S. passport, and he has no reason to stay in the United States. It is in accordance with the principle of justice that he be deported back to Taiwan and judged here. As a result, how the United States handles Wang's case and whether it will meet the universal principles of democracy and the Taiwan people's expectations is a test of the U.S. Government's wisdom." ¶4. Taiwan's Name Change Plan "CPC Taiwan Makes a Belated Start for Taiwan's Name Change [Efforts]" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 550,000] editorialized (2/5): "The state-run Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC) decided to change its name to CPC Taiwan. This is yet more progress for Taiwan's society in its name change efforts following the change of Chiang Kai-shek [International] Airport to Taiwan Taoyuan Airport. Even though the administrative branch is already behind its schedule for name changes, we still welcome this decision made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. ... "The rectification of Taiwan's name is by nature the engineering of social transformational justice which needs to be implemented after Taiwan got rid of the governance by an alien party. Just as the recent revisions to history textbooks for high school students, in which Sun Yat-sen's [title of "father of the country"] was rectified and the historical perspective of an alien party was removed, the name change [of CPC Taiwan] is also meant to carry out Taiwan-centered values. ... We look forward to joint efforts from the public and private sectors to transform Taiwan into a normal country via name changes as early as possible." ¶5. U.S.-China Relations "Beijing Pays Intensive Visits to Africa to Compete with the United States for Foreign Relations" Yen Cheng-sheng, a research fellow at National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations, opined in the pro-unification PLAN, U.S.-CHINA "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (2/5): "... It is all right that Washington does not care about its bilateral relations with seven of the eight countries that [Chinese President] Hu Jintao recently visited. But the United States must pay close attention to the exchanges between China and Sudan, particularly when the latter was sanctioned by the international community for its ethnic extinction action in Darfur, and it is implicitly related to international terrorist organizations, including bin Laden and al Qaeda. This is because this development [of China-Sudan relations] will affect the United States' leadership in the international community and its global layout for the war on terrorism." YOUNG