MEDIA REACTION: BEIJING OLYMPICS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001151 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: BEIJING OLYMPICS Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused August 6 news coverage on Taitung County Magistrate Kuang Li-chen, who was quizzed by prosecutors Tuesday for being away on a trip to Europe while her county was being pounded by a major typhoon last week; on Taiwan's surging consumer price index in July; and on the OLYMPIC Games in Beijing. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" discussed the reasons behind U.S. President George W. Bush's desire to go to Beijing Olympics. The article concluded by saying that "Bush has finally discovered that the most appropriate thing to do is to build mutual trust with the Chinese leaders." An editorial in the conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" commented on the Beijing Olympics and said "it looks as though China is again missing a great opportunity to move closer to the commonwealth of democratic nations." End summary. A) "The Real Reasons behind [U.S. President] Bush's Enthusiasm about the Beijing Olympics" The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 200,000] (8/6): "Regarding U.S. President George W. Bush's trip to the Far East this time, his visits to South Korea and Thailand are just something he do on the way, while his [real] goal is to participate in the Beijing Olympics. ... John McCain is gravely concerned that if any dispute occurs between Bush and China, it will generate a negative impact on future Sino-U.S. relations if McCain is elected president. Judging from this perspective, it is obvious that no matter whether it is a Republican or a Democrat that takes the helm of the United States in the near future, he will keep walking the path laid by Bush. "When assuming his position in the very beginning, President Bush had absolutely no idea that his China policy would turn out to be like this. But reality has forced him to pick the road of compromise. When the Republican neoconservatism led by Vice President Dick Cheney gradually subsided, the Bush's new team, acting on his own discretion, [started to] alleviate the United States' relations with China. Not only did Bush personally resolve and mitigate the tension caused by the Taiwan issue, but former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick also invited Beijing to play a more active role in the international community by defining China as a [responsible] stakeholder. In addition, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson stopped Congress from making moves that would exacerbate trade disputes [with China]; and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's reliance on China in terms of [preventing] nuclear proliferation on the Korean Peninsula and U.S.-China cooperation in fighting terrorism have both helped to create a new common ground of interests for the two countries. "Bush has paved the way for the next U.S. president to engage with Beijing, and this will probably be his diplomatic legacy left behind after his eight year term in office. It is just like what former National Security Council Senior Director for Asian affairs Kenneth Lieberthal of the Clinton administration said: 'Bush has left behind him a generally sound U.S.-China relationship.' Bush has finally discovered that the most appropriate thing to do was to build mutual trust with the Chinese leaders -- perhaps a result of his father's influence. ..." B) "Missed OLYMPIC Opportunities?" The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (8/6): "... China's goal is to showcase itself as a proud, strong, modern nation, ready to become a global leader, but by overdoing the security factor, Beijing may be shooting itself in the foot. Heavy security would, of course, be the norm anywhere an Olympics is hosted, but Beijing has perhaps gone overboard. ... The Beijing Olympics will undoubtedly leave some positive legacies including cleaner AIR and greater international awareness, but it seems a shame that authorities in Beijing are not making more of their Olympic opportunity. After the May 12th earthquake in Sichuan, the world seemed to give China a pass on its crackdown of dissent in Tibet and Xinjiang. But hopes that such goodwill would move China to re-examine its totalitarian practices seem to have been misplaced. "When China was awarded the Summer Olympics after an exhaustive ballot in 2001, some commentators held out hope that the games could be a catalyst for change, much like the way the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul helped move South Korea away from a military-led dictatorship. While it's much too early to see if the Olympics will spur China towards greater reform, unfortunately, it looks as though China is again missing a great opportunity to move closer to the commonwealth of democratic nations." YOUNG