MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000299 SIPDIS 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 Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused March 5 news coverage on the upcoming presidential poll; on the Pentagon's Monday release of its annual report on Chinese military growth; on a Taiwan F-16 fighter jet which went missing Tuesday during a routine training mission; and on the soaring cost of international plane tickets. The pro-independence "Liberty Times" front-paged an exclusive news story stating that during the lead-up to Taiwan's presidential election senior Taiwan officials have been briefing their counterparts in Washington on the Chinese military's movements across the Taiwan Strait. All of the Chinese military's unusual behavior has been under close surveillance by the U.S., the report said. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" editorial cautioned the public to be vigilant of China's attempt to use economic benefits to facilitate unification across the Taiwan Strait. End summary. "Be Vigilant against China's Attempt to Play the 'Economic Card' against Taiwan - Slowly Boiling the FROG in the Pan" [Ed.: from a Chinese saying about gaining advantage over one's opponent by subtle, stealthy maneuvers] The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] editorialized (3/5): "... Using the economic united front tactic to win over Taiwan is exactly the new means China has been using to fight [Taiwan] independence and facilitate unification. Given that all the verbal attacks and saber-rattling have failed to work, China has already changed its strategy and adopted a guideline of using economic [benefits] to foster unification. In other words, Beijing wants to absorb Taiwan economically so as to rapidly increase Taiwan's dependence on China's economy. Once Taiwan's economy is controlled by China, China will be able to do anything it desires with Taiwan. Taiwan, as a result, will be powerless to resist [China], and the so-called peaceful unification (namely, to annex Taiwan) will be achieved naturally. ... "Having undergone a thorough transformation to democracy, the Taiwan people believe in the power of the people and insist that Taiwan's future must be determined by the 23 million Taiwan people. They thus find China's evil ambitions to annex Taiwan totally unacceptable. But [Beijing's] new approach to use economic [benefits] to facilitate unification is akin to boiling a FROG in the cold water; the FROG will get accustomed to the temperature increase gradually and will be boiled imperceptibly in the end. The fact that China has maintained an unusually low-profile in Taiwan's presidential election this time is an indication that it is playing the economic card in an attempt to paralyze the vigilance of the Taiwan voters. ..." YOUNG