MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001578 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: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS, U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage November 7 on the violent clashes between pro-Green supporters and police on Thursday night; on the short meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and China's Association for RELATIONS across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yulin on Thursday; and on the continued investigation into former President Chen Shui-bian and his family's corruption and money laundering cases. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" warned President Ma that public opinion and public anger regarding his cross-Strait policy must be valued; otherwise, Ma will be loathed by the Taiwan people. An editorial in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" gave credit to the Taiwan visit of ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin. The editorial said, however, that both Beijing and Taipei should realize that POLITICAL issues cannot be touched hastily, because apparently the timing is not ripe, judging from the series of protests in Taiwan against Chen's visit. Editorials in both the pro-unification "United Daily News" and the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" urged the Chinese Communist Party and the DDP to face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China. Also in the "China Times," a news analysis said it was a pity that the way that the historic meeting between President and ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin was handled failed fully to present China and Taiwan's cross-Strait policies. Regarding the election of Barack Obama as the President of the United States, an op-ed in the "China Times" commented on how Barack Obama, a potential protectionist, is going to deal with daunting economic challenges, and the possible implications for Taiwan. An editorial in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" drew a parallel between Barack Obama and Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou. The editorial reminded Obama to be careful not to disappoint Americans in the way that Ma allegedly has. End summary. ¶3. Cross-Strait RELATIONS A) "President Ma Will Be Loathed by the People If Not Bow to the Public Opinion" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] editorialized (11/7): "... Today, the anger of Taiwan people was vented like volcanoes erupting. The release of anger was a result of President Ma [Ying-jeou]'s betrayal of Taiwan. Ma's moves to impose martial law internally and surrender to China not only 'hurt Taiwan's image, hurt Taiwan people's lives,' but also caused an unprecedented crisis in Taiwan's sovereignty. With his popularity on the decline, Ma will be loathed by the [Taiwan] people if he does not bow to public opinion which has been gathering like a storm!" B) "Ma and Chen Cannot Thaw Out the Three-Meter Deep Ice" The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] editorialized (11/7): "Although there have been violent protests, [China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman] Chen Yunlin's visit to Taiwan was still a success. "From the perspective of historical significance, this cross-Strait negotiation [between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and ARATS in Taipei] was the one that achieved the most concrete results. [This negotiation] made remarkable contributions to cross-Strait exchanges, trade and economics, and social psychology. [This negotiation] also built a regular, working-level platform for persistent mutual interaction in the future. At the same time, both sides of the Taiwan Strait should realize from the violent protests [in Taipei] that the timing for discussing POLITICAL issues is far from ripe. [The discussion of POLITICAL issues] should not be held hastily. Haste brings no success. ..." C) "The Crux of Taiwan Issue: Both the DPP and CCP Deny the Existence of the Republic of China" The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (11/7): "... The concluding impressions of the November 5 meeting between [Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman] P. K. Chiang and [China's Association for RELATIONS across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman] Chen Yunlin are: first, the realization of the three links. [The trend of] exchange across the Taiwan Strait is irreversible. Second, the predicament in which the Ma [Ying-jeou Administration] was under converging attacks from both Beijing and the DPP is obvious to all. Third, credit should be given to Beijing for Beijing's show of bearing regarding the incidents of Zhang Mingqing [who was accosted in Tainan at the end of October] and the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei [where Chen Yunlin was besieged on the ELECTION night of November 5]. Fourth, in the last five days, the DPP regressed and become a Taiwan-independence party that protects corruption and shows its violence. "Chen Yunlin's five-day visit [to Taiwan] furthermore demonstrated a point of view that we have been constantly argued: the crux of the Taiwan issue lies in the reality that both the Chinese Communist Party and the DPP deny the existence of the Republic of China. ..." D) "It Is Time for Beijing to Face up to the 'Republic of China'" The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 220,000] editorialized (11/7): "... After the second meeting between [Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman] P. K. Chiang and [China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman] Chen Yunlin has been held, shouldn't the Beijing authorities really think seriously whether it is time to 'face up' to the existence of the Republic of China? The Beijing authorities should understand clearly that, regardless of the half-century historic struggle between the KMT and the CCP, the Republic of China never vanished from the planet. No matter how [the Republic of China] was shut out in the United Nations or driven out of or humiliated on various sorts of international occasions; how the number of countries [with which it had] diplomatic ties was diminished; or how the national flag and the national anthem of the Republic of China have disappeared in international competitions; in the end it is undeniable that the Constitution and the sovereignty of the Republic of China still function well in Taiwan. Under the Constitution, [the Republic of China] has held four presidential elections and experienced two transitions of government. Facing a popularly elected president [Ma Ying-jeou] who has the endorsement of over seven million voters, Beijing is still too stingy to speak the title [of president]. Apparently [Beijing] so far does not want to recognize such a reality. ..." E) "Ending the Meeting in a Sloppy Way and Missing a New Opportunity across the Taiwan Strait" Reporter Wang Ming-I wrote a news analysis in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 220,000] (11/7): "... The meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou and [China's Association for RELATIONS across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS)] Chairman Chen Yunlin was a great event in cross-Strait exchange in the last six decades, whether from the perspective of realistic politics or historical progress. Regrettably, under the pressure of the DPP calling for protests, Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China's ARATS chose the most low-profile style to present the 'meeting between Ma and Chen,' and therefore missed an opportunity to allow cross-Strait policies to be fully addressed. ..." ¶4. U.S. Presidential Election A) "Obama Changes the Prospects for the World Economy" Bert J. Lim, President of the World Economics Society, a Taiwan-based think tank, opined in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 220,000] (11/7): "... Amid [President-elect of the United States] Barack Obama's foreign policies, especially in terms of trade and investment policy, regional cooperation and energy policy, the most disturbing policy is the advocacy of the new protectionism, 'the closing of the country's economy.' Although [Obama] said orally that he supports the free trade, [Obama] has, however, actually started 'to review and re-open negotiations' regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). [Obama] even clearly opposed, or even is likely to suspend or terminate, the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) that the United States signed with South Korea and Colombia. Under such circumstances, it is very difficult for Taiwan to expect to [sign] an FTA between Taiwan and the United States. ..." B) "US Election Echoes in Taiwan" The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 20,000] editorialized (11/7): "Whether one likes it or not, the paths of Taiwan and the US seem to be tightly entwined. "This was proved again on Tuesday, when just eight months after voters here decided to put an end to eight years of rule by a man and his party, the US electorate followed suit, choosing an opposition party figure to replace a president who has been berated and lampooned in equal measure. ELECTION "US president-elect Barack Obama's victory on Tuesday was an epoch-defining moment. Not only will he become the first black president in the history of the US, but his victory brings the curtain down on one of the most controversial and divisive presidencies of all time. Many Americans are hoping that, come January, their new president can quickly rebuild bridges and repair their country's tarnished global image. They also hope he can re-establish what many call the US' 'moral authority,' something badly eroded by two terms under President George W. Bush. "This is similar in some respects to President Ma Ying-jeou's victory in March, as he was the first non-Taiwanese to be elected president, and on promises that he would turn Taiwan into a cross-strait 'peacemaker,' not a 'troublemaker. ... "It is in the world's interest that Obama is up to the huge task that has been placed on his shoulders, because the alternative is deepening uncertainty and instability - feelings that most Taiwanese are burdened with just six months into Ma's term." YOUNG