MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, IRAQ

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000789 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: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, IRAQ ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave front-page coverage April 10 to the Executive Yuan's disciplinary action against the National Communications Commission (NCC) Monday by suspending two of its commissioners pending an investigation. News coverage also focused on the 2008 presidential elections and other local issues. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" bluntly pointed out that the United States should no longer demand from Taiwan the "Four Nos and One Without" pledge, because such a request has caused irretrievable damage to Taiwan's security and interests. An op-ed piece in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" discussed the possible strategy Taiwan should adopt in an attempt to secure a free trade agreement with the United States. A column in the pro-status quo "China Times," on the other hand, discussed the current situation in Iraq and said the United States has paid a very high price in launching the war against Iraq. End summary. ¶2. U.S.-Taiwan Relations A) "The United States Should Not Demand the Ridiculous 'Four Nos and One Without' Pledge [from Taiwan] Any More" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 500,000] editorialized (4/10): "... More importantly, even though the United States regards the 'Four Nos and One Without' pledge as a keystone for peace in the Taiwan Strait and therefore hopes that future DPP presidential candidates will be able to adhere to such a [policy] direction, the source of instability in the Taiwan Strait lies in reality in China rather than in Taiwan. The United States is incapable of restraining China and, instead, it hopes for Taiwan to be resigned to its fate. This move is no different from conniving with the unreasonable demands of a strong power, and it will severely endanger [the United States'] righteous image, which was clearly demonstrated when Washington went to extreme lengths to launch the war on terrorism by waging wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. Likewise, imposing pressure on its long-term ally of the same democratic camp just to curry favor with a hegemony that remains under totalitarian rule also runs counter to the United States' founding spirit of upholding democracy and freedom. In other words, as Taiwan is about to start campaigning for its next presidential elections, not only is it inappropriate for the United States to pressure, in the name of offering consultations, the future DPP presidential candidate to continue adhering to the Four Nos and One Without pledge, but Washington should also thoroughly reflect on the irretrievable damage this pledge has done to Taiwan's security and interests. The United States must decisively abandon such a mistaken cross-Strait policy so as to be able truly to secure peace in the Taiwan Strait." B) "Developing a Strategy for an FTA with the US" Tsai Horng-ming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese National SIPDIS Federation of Industries, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (4/10): "The US recently concluded a free-trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea. ... In fact, the agreement will have a domino effect. Regional economic integration will become the major strategy for countries to strengthen their economic competitiveness and attract foreign investment. As for Taiwan, China's macroeconomic development strategy and the 'one China' principle have had a negative effect on Taiwan's participation in the process of regional integration. Facing Chinese obstructionism, the manner in which Taipei enters FTA negotiations with Washington will be of utmost importance. This strategy can use the WTO's legal system and institutions to develop the FTA with the US. ... "For its part, Taiwan can use its own prestige in areas such as economic liberty, market openness and geopolitical status as trading chips to highlight the value of regional trade investment. A Taiwan-US FTA would support the formation of an APEC-wide FTA, from which regional development could ensue. To demonstrate its political will to the US, Taiwan must offer a comprehensive economic liberalization plan and adopt a more realistic strategy to overcome political obstacles. Giving more importance to creating a trade and investment framework in which Taiwan and the US can evolve would be a way to achieve this. ... The nation needs to build the communication mechanism whereby it can enter into talks with US entrepreneurs in favor of a Taiwan-US FTA." ¶3. Iraq "Four Years after Saddam Hussein's Statue Was Pulled Down" The "International Outlook" column in the pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] noted (4/10): "On the same day four years ago, U.S. soldiers succeeded in capturing Baghdad, in which a statue of Saddam Hussein in the downtown area was pulled down. Washington said it had liberated Iraq. But how does Iraq look today? According to the statistics published by the U.S. media last week, the current situation of the Iraqi people is as follows: 655,000 Iraqi civilians have died; 1.9 million refugees are wandering from place to place in Iraq, whereas 2 million Iraqi refugees have fled mostly to neighboring countries such as Syria and Jordan. In Syria alone there are 1.2 million Iraqi refugees. A United Nations statistic report also showed that domestic chaos and incessant small civil battles [in Iraq] have generated around 5 million orphans. All these are caused just because the Bush administration of the United States said it wanted to attack Iraq as the country was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. Now it proves that this is nothing but nonsense. ... "The United States itself also paid a price: 3,200 dead American soldiers, most of whom did not die in formal combat. The costs of this war will certainly exceed those of any war in U.S. history. ... What's worse is that no one can tell when and how this tragedy will come to an end. It is even worse that the war on Iraq has generated the nuclear crisis in Iran (this country would not have stayed fearless until now without the war on Iraq),and the Iranian nuclear crisis is a more severe problem than Iraq. ..." WANG