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