MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000943

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.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS



1. Summary: All Taiwan's major Chinese-language and
English-language dailies gave significant coverage on April 27 to
the Taiwan authority's announcement Thursday evening that they were
rejecting China's proposed route for the 2008 Olympic torch relay.
News coverage also focused on the 2008 presidential election. In
their news analyses, several papers, including the pro-status quo
"China Times" and the pro-unification "United Daily News,"
criticized the DPP government's decision on the 2008 Olympic torch
relay. These papers said Taiwan should not mix up sports and
politics and that its decision - which puts ideology ahead of
political reality - will only put the island in an unfavorable
position.


2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an op-ed in the
pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed the Bush administration's
recent adjustment of its China policy. The article said the
Washington-Beijing relationship is marked by the co-existence of
conflict and cooperation, and both sides are adopting a two-pronged
strategy to avoid dangers. An editorial in the limited-circulation,
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" refuted U.S.
Senator John Warner's recent comment on Taiwan and said when it
comes to cross-Strait relations, it is China, not Taiwan, who is the
provocateur. End Summary.

A) "The U.S. Adjustment of Its China Policy"

Lin Cheng-yi, a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of
European and American Studies, opined in the pro-independence
"Liberty Times" [circulation: 500,000] (4/27):

"It is evident that the Bush administration has been making
significant adjustments to its foreign policies since the Democrats
won back the control over the House of Representatives and the
Senate in January 2007. The United States started to engage in
bilateral talks with North Korea without China's mediation in
between. Washington demanded that Pyongyang freeze its nuclear
facilities rather than destroy them, and it started to discuss the
situation in Iraq with Iran and Syria in Baghdad. Even though
Washington and Beijing have the 'Strategic Economic Dialogue' and
other conventions among their respective commercial, trade, and
financial ministers, the Bush administration filed a complaints with
the World Trade Organization in February and April, respectively,
against China's illegal subsidies and infringement on intellectual
property rights. ...

"There is intensive interaction going on between high-ranking U.S.
and Chinese officials, but it may not necessarily indicate that the
two sides are enjoying a friendly relationship. Instead, the
Washington-Beijing relationship is marked by the co-existence of
conflict and cooperation, and both sides are adopting a two-pronged
strategy of carrot and stick to avoid danger. ..."

B) "Taiwan a Provocateur? What a Joke"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] editorialized (4/27):

"... [US Senator John] Warner's comments come amid a flurry of such
utterances by US officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, who on April 12 warned both China and Taiwan to refrain from
provocations ahead of next year's Olympics in Beijing. It is de
rigueur for US officials to talk about 'maintaining the status quo'
and to give impromptu lectures on the nuances of the 'one China'
policy and the Taiwan Relations Act. But Warner, with his comments
to [US Pacific Command Commander Admiral Timothy] Keating, took
direct aim at Taiwan. ...

"Unfortunately, Warner's insistence on singling out Taiwan
highlights two of the most fundamental problems that this nation
faces in its dealings with US policymakers. The first is a basic
misunderstanding by many US policymakers and academics of what
motives Taiwanese politicians and drives local politics. If
Taiwanese politicians are saying and doing things that Washington or
Beijing find irritating, it is the height of arrogance to assume
that they are doing it simply because their 'tempers flare.' ...

"It was not rash anger that drove President Chen Shui-bian to get
rid of the National Unification Council, for instance, or to change
the name of Chunghwa Post to Taiwan Post. It was playing to his
supporters - good ol' politicking. Meanwhile, the same goes for
parts of the pan-blue camp (especially the People First Party) when
they oppose procuring US weapons systems. These politicians aren't
motivated by ire; they're motivated by a desire to keep their jobs
by retaining supporters.

"The second problem that Warner's comments highlight is a perception
among those people that Taiwan's de facto independence - and not
China's questionable claim to Taiwan a part of its territory - is
the source of friction in the Taiwan Strait. This little fallacy

needs to be put down as quickly as possible. Taiwan is not the
problem. The Taiwanese people are not the problem. No one in
Taiwan is seriously calling for the military to invade China (at
least, not anymore). No one in Taiwan is threatening to wipe US
cities from the map. No one in Taiwan is even saying that they
would be willing to watch millions of Chinese die, simply for the
sake of hollow pride. ... Senator Warner, at the end of the day, it
isn't Taiwan that threatens war; it is China. So why warn Taiwan
about being 'provocative'?"

YOUNG