MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000098 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: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage January 18 on DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's intensive campaigning in the wake of his party's severe defeat in last Saturday's legislative elections; on the March presidential poll; on President Chen Shui-bian returning from his visit to Latin America; and on the prosecutors' decision Thursday to indict eight current and former lawmakers on charges of bribery. The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" published the results of a latest opinion survey, which showed that 40 percent of those polled said they will vote for KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou, while 16 percent said they will support Frank Hsieh. The paper ran a banner headline on page eight that said "Forty-three Percent of Voters Say They Have Yet to Decide Who Should Be President." ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed U.S. Pacific Commander-in-Chief Admiral Timothy Keating's recent comment on the Taiwan Strait as being the international waters. The article said only if Taiwan retains its independent sovereignty can the Taiwan Strait remain international waters. It therefore urged Washington to stop beating down on Taiwan's "democratic and peaceful" UN referendum. End summary. "Only If Taiwan Retains Its Independent Sovereignty Can the Taiwan Strait Remain International Waters" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] editorialized (1/18): "... Over the past few years, China has been working proactively on its military build-up in an attempt to take possession of the Taiwan Strait just for its own use. The fact that Chinese submarines have appeared in the Taiwan Strait many times and [sometimes] trespassed into the territorial waters of Taiwan and Japan is a clear manifestation of such evil ambitions. Beijing announced unilaterally at the end of 2007 its plan to draw a new air route west of the central line of the Taiwan Strait. The move also indicated China's scheme to use commercial needs as a cover-up for its intent to take over the Taiwan Strait. Judging from U.S. Admiral Timothy Keating's recent statement [in Beijing], [it is evident that] relevant countries, including the United States, will never [simply] sit back and watch China's attempt to take over the Taiwan Strait as its territorial waters. "As a matter of fact, it is closely related to Taiwan whether the Taiwan Strait can retain its status of international waters. It is a widely known fact that China has been publicizing recklessly in the international community that Taiwan is part of China, implying that it has the right to unify (or annex) Taiwan. In this vein, China naturally sees the Taiwan Strait as its own territorial waters. As a result, the key to assure that the Taiwan Strait remains international waters lies in maintaining Taiwan's status as an independent sovereign [state]. Once Taiwan is annexed by China, relevant countries like the United States and Japan will have to seek approval from Beijing if their ships or airplanes want to fly or sail through the Taiwan Strait. "Yet at the moment when Keating was emphasizing that the Taiwan Strait is international waters, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who is currently visiting Beijing, reiterated that the United States believes Taiwan's UN referendum is provocative and that it is a mistake to conduct such a referendum. Why does Taiwan need to hold a referendum on its UN membership? The answer is because China attempts to annex Taiwan and change Taiwan's status quo as an independent sovereign [state]! U.S. State Department officials did not criticize China's deployment of 1,328 missiles targeting Taiwan as provocative, nor did it slam the 'Anti-Secession Law' as provocative. Instead, it labeled Taiwan's democratic, peaceful UN referendum as provocative. This is evidently a double standard, clear and simple. "U.S. State Department officials criticized Taiwan's move to maintain its status as an independent sovereign [state] as provocative, while U.S. Pacific commander-in-chief reiterated in China that the Taiwan Strait is international waters. Apparently the [U.S.] cross-Strait policy is inconsistent with its strategy for the Western Pacific. If one acts in accordance with the State Department policies and echoes wholeheartedly China's policy to annex Taiwan, sooner or later, Taiwan will become China's exclusive domain, and the Taiwan Strait will end up becoming China's territorial waters. Should it be the case, how will the U.S. military be able to declare that the Taiwan Strait is international waters? How is the United States going to ensure its interests and those of other countries in the western Pacific? "Over the years, as required by the 'Taiwan Relations Act,' the United States has been providing Taiwan with defensive weapons, and its objective is simply to defend Taiwan against China's force and annexation. Oddly, Washington is selling defensive weapons to Taiwan on the one hand, in the fear that China will use force to annex Taiwan, but on the other hand it does not want to recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign state, and it even tries to suppress in every respect Taiwan's attempts to maintain its independent sovereignty. What Washington has been doing is akin to slapping itself in the face. The [U.S.] actions also provided an instance for China to protest loudly against the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. It may as well be asked: How long can such an inconsistent policy be sustained? "... Judged from such a perspective, Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait are closely related and inseparable. Only if Taiwan can retain its independent sovereignty can the Taiwan Strait remains international waters. When Taiwan loses its independent sovereignty, the Taiwan Strait will by no means remain international waters. It is about time that the United States stops its attempts to beat down on Taiwan's UN referendum." YOUNG