MEDIA REACTION: THE BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA (BFA)

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000514 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: THE BOAO FORUM FOR ASIA (BFA) ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage April 12-14 on Taiwan Vice President-elect Vincent Siew's historic meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao. The interaction between the Chinese government and Siew's delegation was the focal of local media attention as well. New York Yankees' Taiwan pitcher Wang Chien-ming pitched a two-hit complete game to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, and this received extensive coverage in local media over the weekend. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the "China Times" urged both Taiwan and China to take a pragmatic attitude in cross-Strait relations. An opinion piece in the "United Daily News" said the model of Siew and Hu's meeting should set a precedent in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum this year. An editorial in "Apple Daily" criticized both the Blue and the Green camps for having wrong perspectives on the Siew-Hu meeting. A column in "Apple Daily" said the United States was watching closely at the meeting and welcomed the new tone of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations after Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian steps down. A commentary in "Apple Daily" said that the United States must have mixed feelings when seeing that the new KMT government is leaning towards China. End summary. A) "Let the Pragmatic and Win-Win Return and Become the Main Shaft in the Cross-Strait Thought" The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] editorialized (4/14): "... If the 'pursuit of win-win' that [Taiwan's Vice President-elect] Vincent Siew advocated and the 'joint creation of win-win' that [Chinese President] Hu Jintao replied [to Siew] can be used as a footnote of this Siew-Hu summit, maybe we can optimistically expect that both sides across the Taiwan Strait enter a 'pragmatic' generation, which will start in the second half of this year. Negotiations regarding functional and technical issues will become leading issues in the interaction across the Taiwan Strait in the coming years. Whether there will be more creative breakthroughs in issues which are thornier, such as the World Health Assembly and APEC, will be a test of the benign interaction between two sides across the Taiwan Strait in the next stage. ..." B) "Boao Can; No Reason APEC Cannot" Chen Chien-chung, a researcher in the National Policy Foundation, opined in the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (4/14): " ... The biggest achievement of Siew and Hu's meeting is the reciprocal model of the direct contact of the highest-level leaders between two sides across the Taiwan Strait, instead of concrete measures such as opening charter and direct flights across the Taiwan Strait and opening [Taiwan] to Mainland tourists. The Beijing authorities' various creative and benign arrangements for Siew have created a new space for dealing with meetings between high-level officials of both sides across the Strait. Although the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is an economic forum held by China, the model of Siew and Hu's meeting will set an example for the APEC held in September. If Boao can, there is no reason that APEC cannot. If the Beijing authorities are willing to go a step further by using the Boao model in several international organizations such as APEC, the rift between Taiwan and China, which is a politically lukewarm and economically warm rift, will be bridged at a certain level. ..." C) "A Deviation on the Meeting between Siew and Hu" The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] editorialized (4/14): "... Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties have several biases on the cross-Strait meeting [between Siew and Hu]. The KMT and the Blue camp generally think that Taiwan's economy is in a difficult position. It is necessary to open economic and trade relations with China to rescue Taiwan's economy, otherwise [Taiwan's economy] will be at a dead end. As a result, it is Taiwan that has requests for China. The DPP and the Green camp think that talking about economic and trade issues with China is like asking a tiger for its skin. China will utilize commercial issues to besiege political [issues] or nibble up and annex Taiwan's sovereignty just like slurping down a frog. "The Blue camp's perspectives are wrong. Frankly speaking, if China does not need Taiwan, why does China talk with Taiwan? [China's] long-term goal is definitely unification, but its mid-term goal is to improve relations with Taiwan and break the United States' strategic blockage. [China's] short-term goal is to divert the international community's concerns on the Tibet issue and improve its international image for the sake of successfully holding the Olympic Games. Moreover, unobstructed economic and trade relations with Taiwan will be a great advantage to China's economy. "The Green camp's perspectives are ill-judged as well. [Taiwan's President-elect] Ma Ying-jeou has vowed not to talk about unification with China. Also, it needs to go through referendum procedures regarding Taiwan's unification [with China] or independence. It will be extremely difficult to either sell out Taiwan [to China] or unify [with China]. Taiwan's sovereignty awareness has been very difficult to shake, so what is there to worry about? Opening Taiwan to Mainland tourists is fair to Taiwan, and why to reject it? Taiwan's tourists and expenses in China in recent many years have been an enormous figure. Why is it wrong to let [Chinese tourists] contribute to Taiwan in return? "We support the model of Siew and Hu's meeting and hope this is the outset of a win-win [situation]." D) "The Calabash of the Meeting between Siew and Hu" [Ed. Note: refers to a legendary immortal who kept mysterious remedies hidden inside a hollow-out calabash (gourd).] Columnist Antonio Chiang wrote in his column in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (4/14): "... However, every bit of this [the meeting between Siew and Hu] has been under the United States' close watch. The United States had already known the arrangement. After the meeting, the KMT and Beijing will simultaneously brief Washington. The tune of U.S.-China-Taiwan relations after the A-Bian administration will be re-set." E) "The Thaw across the Taiwan Strait Needs to be Evaluated Slowly" Lu I-ming, former publisher of the Taiwan Shin Sheng Daily News, opined in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (4/14): "... Although the United States said on the surface that it is happy to see the 'Siew-Hu meeting', it must have a mixed feeling in its heart. That is because the incoming KMT government is regarded by international media as having 'pro-China' tendencies. Once the two sides across the Taiwan Strait open the three links and enter into a cooperative frontier of mutual trust, mutual consideration, mutual help, and mutual benefit, [Taiwan's] arms purchase from the United States will gradually decrease, for example. How 'U.S.-China-Taiwan-Japan' relations evolve in the future will be the real focus of the international community! "The United States certainly knows that China's missile deployment not only targets Taiwan but also poses threat to its homeland. Furthermore, the military budget of the Chinese Communists is almost a google, and even Japan is afraid of it. Several politicians and academics have been worried that China will enjoy giving some sweeteners to the incoming KMT government. As a result, the Ma-Siew team has to reinforce its cooperation with the DPP to hold the bargaining chips and backup when negotiating with China and as a result fulfill the maintenance of Taiwan's rights." YOUNG