Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TAIPEI2543
2007-11-29 10:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

FORMER PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI ON UN REFERENDUM,

Tags:  PGOV PREL JA CH TW 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 002543 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL JA CH TW
SUBJECT: FORMER PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI ON UN REFERENDUM,
DOMESTIC POLITICS, AND INTERNATIONAL AND CROSS-STRAIT ISSUES

Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young,
Reasons: 1.4 (b/d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 002543

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL JA CH TW
SUBJECT: FORMER PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI ON UN REFERENDUM,
DOMESTIC POLITICS, AND INTERNATIONAL AND CROSS-STRAIT ISSUES

Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young,
Reasons: 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with the Director on November
27, former President Lee Teng-hui criticized the DPP for
playing an "election game" with its UN referendum, which he
characterized as "empty and meaningless." Lee dismissed the
"1992 consensus" and "one China, separate interpretations" as
inventions of former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman
Su Chi. Referring to recent defections by several Taiwan
Solidarity Union (TSU) legislators to the DPP, Lee said this
would allow room in the party for new people who are more
interested in democracy than the DPP's pursuit of position
and money. While not specifically saying he would endorse
DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, Lee made no effort to
dispel media rumors that he will do so at the appropriate
time. End Summary.

Presidential Election
--------------


2. (C) The Director called on former President Lee Teng-hui
on November 27 to discuss the political situation in the
run-up to the legislative and presidential elections. Noting
that the Taiwan media keeps asking him who his favorite is in
Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, the Director
explained to Lee that he always stresses our neutrality in
response to such questions. In response, Lee told the
Director he is unable to say who he will support in the
election, and therefore always tells the media that he
doesn't know. (Note: TECRO Council Member Corey Chen, a
close advisor to DPP candidate Frank Hsieh, told AIT recently
that Lee has offered to endorse Hsieh, who has asked Lee to
hold off until shortly before the election for maximum
effect. End Note.)

UN Referendum
--------------


3. (C) According to Lee, there is no reason to hold a
referendum on joining the UN since it is already very clear
that most people in Taiwan would like to join the UN. Lee
questioned the rationale for the DPP's move, observing that
the DPP has no "second step" following the referendum that
would help Taiwan make progress toward joining the UN. In

addition, linking the referendum to the election turns the UN
issue into an "election game" rather than a question for
serious consideration. The DPP's referenda are intended to
increase votes in the legislative and presidential elections,
Lee maintained, adding that he opposed such referenda as
"empty and meaningless."


4. (C) Lee noted he had not studied the question of whether
the one-stage or two-stage voting procedure would be better
for the elections and referenda. The Central Election
Commission should consult with local authorities to decide on
the best method, he suggested, adding that President Chen
should not be talking about the issue. Lee also criticized
Chen and Vice President Lu for criticizing ordinary citizens
who were protesting about their economic difficulties. Chen,
who says too much, is a little "crazy," Lee observed.

U.S.-Taiwan Relations
--------------


5. (C) The Director assured Lee that, similar to the
situation when Lee was president, the U.S. maintains good
communication channels with President Chen and his senior
officials. The problem is not with our dialogue, the
Director stressed, but that our two sides have different
views. While the U.S. has a regional and global perspective,
Taiwan leaders seem concerned only about elections. Lee
suggested this problem is unavoidable and the situation will
be difficult to change as there are only 167 (sic, the
correct number is 175) days left in Chen's term.


6. (C) Noting that he has regular contacts with presidential
candidates Frank Hsieh (DPP) and Ma Ying-jeou (KMT),the
Director stressed our hope to improve U.S.-Taiwan relations

TAIPEI 00002543 002 OF 003


after the presidential election. The new Taiwan president
will need time, Lee observed, and the U.S. will have a new
president in January 2009.


7. (C) The Director pointed out that Beijing bears some
responsibility for the problems caused by President Chen.
Beijing has refused all along to work with Chen and the PRC's
military buildup and its international pressure have had
negative effects in Taiwan. Lee argued that the PRC is
following in the footsteps of the traditional imperial
system. While China has not changed, Taiwan has
democratized. Democracy is a universal value, Lee continued,
and therefore Taiwan cannot accept the "Asian values"
advocated by Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan-yew. Taking
an apparent dig at Lee Kuan-yew, who first championed this
term, Lee Teng-hui also charged the DPP government with
practicing "Asian values," ruling in an imperial style and
being more corrupt than under the KMT.

Taiwan-Japan Ties
--------------


8. (C) Noting that Frank Hsieh had studied at Kyoto
University, Lee stated that the Japanese like him better than
KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou. According to Lee, Ma cannot
really improve his relations with the Japanese with just one
or two visits. Rather, what is needed is sustained contact
and friendship at senior levels, Lee maintained, citing the
relationship between President Bush and former Prime Minister
Koizumi.

Cross-Strait Relations
--------------


9. (C) Former Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Su Chi (KMT)
has admitted he invented the terms "1992 consensus" and "one
China, separate interpretations," Lee said. Beijing's
insistence on "one China" is a reflection of its imperial
mentality, he argued, adding that a genuine communist party
would reject imperial ideas of the past and act for the
interests of the people.


10. (C) After Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Koo
Chen-fu's visit to China in 1998, Lee recalled, PRC
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS)
Chairman Wang Daohan wanted to visit Taiwan. However, Lee
suspected something was wrong when Wang's planned trip was
postponed from April to October or November, 1999. After
checking in Beijing, Lee discovered that PRC President Jiang
Zemin was planning to announce in front of foreign leaders at
the October 1 National Day ceremony that Taiwan and China
would begin political talks during Wang's visit to Taiwan.
Lee said he wanted to put an end to Jiang's plan and this was
the background for his statement on the "two-state theory" in
an interview with German television that July. SEF and ARATS
were authorized to talk only about practical issues, Lee
added, not to hold political talks.


11. (C) In Lee's view, Beijing has been unsuccessful
recently in trying to use Honorary KMT Chairman Lien Chan for
its own purposes. According to Lee, Beijing asked Lien to
tell Ma Ying-jeou to cancel the party's September 15 rally in
support of the KMT's UN referendum. However, Ma did not
listen to Lien. Subsequently, Lien wanted to do some touring
while on a trip to China but the Chinese hosts did not oblige
and Lien had to return to Taiwan early, using the excuse that
his father and mother were in poor health. As a consequence
of this episode, Beijing no longer regards Lien as very
useful, Lee maintained.

Taiwan Solidarity Union
--------------


12. (C) Lee noted that the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)
(Lee is the "spiritual leader" of the party) is undergoing
reorganization. Referring to the recent defections of
several legislators, he said the "bad people" in the TSU have
now left the party, lured away by the DPP. Lee voiced
confidence this will create room for new people who are more

TAIPEI 00002543 003 OF 003


interested in democracy than in the DPP's pursuit of position
and money, and added that he had told the media this is a
"very good" development. Lee expressed concern that Taiwan
has many people who do not understand democracy but rather
practice "Asian values" like corruption. Taiwan needs a
democratic leader to prevent the enemies of democracy from
trying to reverse the democratization process in Taiwan.

Comment
--------------


13. (C) Lee seemed in good health for a man of his age
(almost 85) and was quite sharp as always. Although Lee's
deep disdain for President Chen was to be expected, the fact
that he is keeping count of the days until Chen leaves office
(which is shown nightly on a popular TV talk-show) is
remarkable. According to a contact close to Frank Hsieh,
Lee's relations with Chen are "extraordinarily bad," while
his relations with Hsieh are "extraordinarily good." Lee's
belief that the DPP's UN referendum is simply a tool that the
party is cynically using to increase voter turnout is widely
shared here. Lee's waning political influence may be further
reduced if the TSU does as poorly as many expect in the
January legislative elections. Nonetheless, no major
political figure here wants to offend Lee.
YOUNG