MEDIA REACTION: THE OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY ISSUE; ABE'S

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000968

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: THE OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY ISSUE; ABE'S
APOLOGY OVER THE WARTIME SEX SLAVERY



1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news
coverage May 1 on an interchange of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge that melted and collapsed onto another highway ramp Sunday
after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire. The other
focus today is Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen's opposition to President
Chen Shui-bian's plan to increase the monthly allowance for farmers
over 65 years of age by NT$1000 to NT$6000 [US$184].


2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, the pro-independence,
mass-circulation daily "Liberty Times" warned in its editorial that
China might use the 2008 Olympic Games to create a "China
consciousness" and manipulate Taiwan's presidential election in
collaboration with pro-unification factions on the island. The
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" editorialized that
if China really cared about the feelings of the Taiwan people, the
country could have arranged better the route for the 2008 Olympic
torch. The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" said in
its editorial that KMT Honorary Chairman Lien Chan's cooperation
with China will help China absorb Taiwan's economy. In contrast,
the pro-status quo "China Times" questioned in its editorial whether
the government has an overall strategy to respond to China's soft
offensive. A commentary in the pro-independence "Taipei Times"
urged the Taiwan authorities to come up with more effective measures
and strategies in order to counteract Beijing's so-called 'Olympic
diplomacy.' The conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" said that the fact that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe only apologized to the United States over wartime sex slavery
will not win support from Asia for the proposed change to Japan's
constitution. End summary.


3. Olympic Torch Relay Issue

A) "Be Vigilant: the 2008 Olympic Games Might Help Create a Strong
Magnetic Force of the China Conscious"

The pro-independence, mass-circulation daily, "Liberty Times"
[circulation: 500,000] said in its editorial (05/01):

"China's attempt to use the route of the Olympic torch relay to
belittle Taiwan's sovereignty was exposed and later sternly rejected
by our government. The big move of our government regarding the
denial of entry of the Olympic torch caused the international
community to pay attention to the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign,
independent country. Therefore, the denial of the Olympic torch is
absolutely not a reckless decision but a necessary means to
safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty. The nonsensical criticism from the
Blue camp and its echoing of Beijing across the Taiwan Strait only
highlights the fact that they do not belong to the land and the
people. ..."

"However, while Taiwan's 'Greater China Consciousness' is fading, we
cannot neglect that China and the pro-unification factions in Taiwan
might promote a sense of Chinese glory by holding the 2008 Olympic
Games. That is to say, in the year to come, China and
Olympic-related information and topics including China's economic
establishment and the achievements of Chinese athletes in the games
will become topics under the manipulation of China and the
pro-unification factions in Taiwan. The attempt is to create a
spiritually powerful magnetic effect of the China consciousness in
the Taiwan society in order to revive the consciousness on the
island. Hence, from now until the 2008 Olympic Games,
confrontations between the Taiwan consciousness and the China
consciousness, between Taiwan's nationalism and China's nationalism
will reach their climax; China and the Blue camp will also attempt
to create a gigantic influence in the 2008 presidential election in
Taiwan. Therefore, how Taiwan will deal with the revival of the
China consciousness is the most pressing topic for the nativist
regime. The route of the torch relay is simply the first battle in
this holy war."

B) "Use Olympic Flap to Highlight Taiwan's Rights"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation:
20,000] said in its editorial (05/01):

"It is no secret that the People's Republic of China is using
Beijing's right to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games next August to
drive an international diplomatic campaign touting its 'peaceful
development' and its supposed goal of 'building a harmonious global
society.'

"The Chinese Communist Party-ruled PRC regime sees the Olympics both
as a moment to mark the PRC's entry into the rank of 'great powers'
and as an opportunity to reinforce in the world community the image
of 'a unified China,' including Taiwan.

"The PRC regime's determination to use the Olympics as a means to
gain global recognition for its claim over Taiwan was finally openly

displayed last Thursday when Beijing announced its plan for the
Olympic torch to arrive in Taiwan from Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City
and then conveyed to the 'Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.'


"... Despite the demand by our "Chinese Taipei" delegation to the
International Olympic Committee that the torch come to Taiwan from a
"third" country and leave for a "fourth country," the route
announced by Beijing clearly put Taiwan as the first stop of China's
"domestic route," followed by Hong Kong and Macau, both of which are
PRC "special administrative regions."

"A transparent clue to Beijing's deliberate intent to negate
Taiwan's sovereignty lies in the fact that the torch actually passes
over or near Taiwan twice before its scheduled arrival.

"After coming through Jakarta, Indonesia, the torch is slated to go
to Canberra, Australia, and pass by Taiwan on its route to Nagano,
Japan and then to Seoul in South Korea, and Pyongyang in North Korea
before flying past Taiwan again on its way to Ho Chi Minh City.

"If Beijing had truly wanted to show consideration towards 'the
feelings of the Taiwan people,' a stopover for the torch could have
been easily arranged with far less convolution either on the flight
from Canberra to Nagano or from Pyongyang to Ho Chi Minh.

"... Although the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party and some
athletic associations have echoed Beijing's arrangement and called
on the Democratic Progressive Party government to "separate Olympics
from politics," we fully support the government's demand that the
Beijing Organizing Committee of the Games redesign the torch relay
route in line with our request that it enter and leave Taiwan
through independent countries and to refrain from further attempts
to denigrate Taiwan's sovereignty."

C) "What to Do with a Bunch of Sell-Outs?"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] said in its editorial (05/01):

"... [KMT Honorary Chairman] Lien and his friends cold return to
Taiwan with a few more meaningless economic concessions from their
'friends' across the Strait, but the few crumbs that Beijing has
thrown at them are just the latest chapter in China's 'united front'
strategy that aims to suck the life out of Taiwan's economic
autonomy until the nation - and its independence- is swallowed up by
its neighbor.

"All the measures are designed to do is prevent Taiwan's dynamic
business sector from reaching out further around the globe, help
China secure even more of Taiwan's investment capital and seal
Taiwan's know-how and intellectual property."

D) "In the Face of China's Soft Offensive, Where is Taiwan's Overall
Strategy?"

The, pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000]
editorialized (05/01):

"Originally, Taiwan opposed China's plan for the 2008 Olympic torch
relay; then China revealed the latest items open to Taiwan at the
KMT-CPC forum; lastly, the [Taiwan] authorities made related
responses. Needless to say, our worries have deepened. On the one
hand, we have witnessed the Beijing authorities' continuous soft
offensive against Taiwan, and it has become stronger; on the other
hand, the Taiwan authorities can only respond passively after making
typically negative reactions.

"... We can say that these are two very different strategies.
China's focus is on the effects of public relations in the world,
demonstrating to global public opinion that it is willing and has
made efforts to improve cross-Strait relations through openness in
its Taiwan policy. Judging from the tenor of global media coverage,
China has reached its goal. What about Taiwan? Regrettably, Taiwan
still cares mostly about the effects on domestic elections. Hence,
in the face of China's open offensive, the most common response,
other than to 'speak negatively,' is to lash out at Beijing and the
pan-Blue alliance -- the only concern of this manipulation being
electoral mobilization. Even during the periods when there are no
elections, the government might consider doing nothing out of the
concern of the possible discontent from the pan-independence
factions. While one side is proactively managing its global
reputation, the other side is considering only short-term interests.
Who is in a more beneficial position?

"... Taiwan has carried out for several years the policies of 'No
Haste, Be Patient,' 'Proactive Management, Effective Openness.'
These policies have only blocked critical industries from investing

in China, and these critical industries have therefore lost the
opportunity to occupy a good position there. In the near future,
Taiwan's talented people will also move to China. Frankly speaking,
we have become familiar with any possible criticism the authorities
might make. Our concern is Taiwan's overall strategy to respond to
numerous challenges."

E) "Fighting Beijing's Olympic Propaganda"

Liu Kuan-teh, a Taipei-based political commentator opined in the
pro-independence, English-language, "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] that (05/01):

"Beijing's announcement on Friday that the Olympic torch would
arrive in Taipei from Vietnam before traveling on to Hong Kong was
nothing more than a politically motivated scheme to sabotage
Taiwan's sovereignty.

"... The Taiwanese government's immediate rejection of the route as
politically motivated was understandable.

"However, the administration of President Chen Shui-bian must come
up with more effective measures and strategies in order to
counteract Beijing's so-called 'Olympic diplomacy.'

"... As for Taiwan, China will use the Olympics as an opportunity to
attempt to propagate its fantasy of 'a unified China.'

"Taiwan must work diligently and continuously to counteract China's
misleading Olympic propaganda.

"... While millions of eyes are focused on the Summer Olympics'
sporting events, Beijing will seize the opportunity to convince the
world that it has evolved in a democratic and civilized manner.

"Taiwan needs to mobilize all available resources to debunk this
fallacy. It needs to show the international community that behind
the glossy facade of the Olympics, China's many faults remain."


4. Abe's apology over the wartime sex slavery

"Abe Says Sorry to U.S., Not Asia"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post"
[circulation: 30,000] pointed out in its editorial (05/01):

"... [U.S. President] Bush called Japan's wartime sex slavery a
'regrettable chapter in the history of the world,' adding, 'I accept
the prime minister's apology and appreciate his candor.'

"But in what capacity was Bush accepting [Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo] Abe's apology? Bush is the U.S. chief of state but not a
representative of the victimized Chinese, Korean, Philippine,
Indonesian and Taiwanese women.

"... U.S. officials have publicly rebuked Abe for denying that the
Japanese military had coerced women into sex slavery during the war.
While the U.S. still wants Japan to become more assertive in Asia,
conservative voices have urged caution over being too closely tied
to Japan's nationalist leaders.

"Japan should move cautiously in revising its pacifist Constitution
- a goal that Abe has defined as his most important, one that
Washington has supported."

YOUNG