MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S OBSERVER STATUS AT WHA

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000530

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: TAIWAN'S OBSERVER STATUS AT WHA


1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused May 1
news coverage on the world's upgraded alert on the H1N1 flu outbreak
and the Taiwan government's anti-epidemic plan; on Taiwan's observer
status at this year's World Health Assembly (WHA); and on the surge
of the Taiwan Stock Exchange index Thursday after Taiwan said
Chinese institutional investors are allowed to buy Taiwan stocks.


2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an op-ed in the
pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed the rapid development of
cross-Strait relations over the past year. The article concluded
that, while both the Obama Administration and the Ma Ying-jeou
Administration race to improve their relations with China, they have
"overlooked the growing imbalance across the Taiwan Strait and the
question of how to address the challenges to
Washington-Beijing-Taipei ties brought about by the change in the
larger environment." An editorial in the mass-circulation "Apple
Daily" discussed Taiwan's observer status at the WHA this year and
said that, even though Taiwan is said to joined the WHA as an
observer, it is an acceptable development judged from a realistic
perspective. Editorials in the pro-unification "United Daily News,"
the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times," and the conservative,
pro-unification, English-language "China Post" all hailed the fact
that Taiwan is able to participate in this year's WHA as an
observer. An editorial in the pro-independence, English-language
"Taipei Times," however, called the WHA's invitation a sweet poison
that will eventually push Taiwan another step toward unification
with China. End summary.

A) " Is the United States Losing Control of the Cross-Strait
Situation?"

Lin Cheng-yi, a research fellow at the Academia Sinica's Institute
of European and American Studies, opined in the pro-independence
"Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] (5/1):

"... The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are now facing the greatest
and most rapid improvement in their mutual relations over the past
six decades. Observers in the United States, China and Taiwan have
noted the burgeoning imbalance between the two sides in terms of
politics, economics, military and mentality. The opposition DPP, no
matter whether they try to restrain or boycott, can hardly change
the overall situation. Beijing, meanwhile, is strengthening its
all-out contact with Taiwan via the three platforms -- the KMT-CCP
forum, the talks between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF)
and China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait
(ARATS),and the forum between civil society across the Taiwan
Strait. In Taiwan, however, two different sets of political views
regarding the island's China policy are emerging and appear to
diverge more and more. ...

"The increasing imbalance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait
in terms of politics, economics, military and mentality has created
a series of challenges for U.S. policy. A view generally held by
the United States is that the Ma Administration is alleviating its
political tension with China, but the new strategy is not without
risk. How is the U.S. government going to address the unprecedented
development in [the relations] across the Taiwan Strait, or is it
able to address the case of the Economic Cooperation Framework
Agreement (ECFA) only and passively indicate that the agreement must
not endanger U.S. interests in Taiwan? Beijing, [on the other
hand,] in addition to the significantly relaxed economic and
political relations with Taiwan, wants to exclude the role of the
United States in the military confidence-building mechanism and
peace pact between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. ...

"Former AIT Chairman Richard Bush admitted that China's rise has
made it more complicated for both the United States and Taiwan to
maintain a common strategic view. What Bush kept without saying was
that China's rise, plus the enhanced power on Beijing's part to
dictate cross-Strait relations, have reduced the United States'
influence in Taiwan affairs. The Clinton Administration was unable
to control communications between the secret envoys across the
Taiwan Strait, and the Obama Administration also finds it difficult
to control the details of cross-Strait negotiations. The top
priority for the Obama Administration and the Ma Administration in
terms of their [respective] foreign policy is to race to improve
relations with China, but they have both overlooked the growing
imbalance across the Taiwan Strait and the question of how to
address the challenges to Washington-Beijing-Taipei ties brought
about by the change in the larger environment."

B) "Yes, [Taiwan's WHA Observer Status] Is Sad, But What Else Can be
Done?"

The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000]
editorialized (5/1):

"With China's approval, Taiwan is able to attend the World Health
Assembly in the capacity of observer. Even though Taiwan felt

frustrated and [believed this was] unfair, it has finally managed to
make a stride toward the international community. It is, generally
speaking, acceptable, judging from a realistic perspective. ... Ma
Ying-jeou said we should ignore history but pay attention to
geography, and such is realism. ... Taiwan must get itself to
return to ground zero and start with the smallest achievement; if it
can get observer status, then observer status it is. As long as it
does not touch on the core of Taiwan's sovereignty, it gives no
cause for much criticism if the island has to make some peripheral
concessions. Yes, it is sad, but what else can be done?"

C) "[Taiwan's] Participation in the WHA: A Major Achievement with
Disappointment"

The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000]
editorialized (5/1):

"... Taiwan was invited to participate in the World Health Assembly,
and such a development showed both nominal and substantive
significance. ... Even though one must not exaggerate the
significance of such a development [for Taiwan], as there is
disappointment in the aspect that it is only 'observer status'
judged on 'an year-to-year basis,' and under the name of 'Chinese
Taipei,' being able to achieve such a state is not easy.
Pragmatically speaking, Taiwan has got hold of a valid pass for its
bid to join the international community. ...

"With regard to this breakthrough, if it is viewed as one of the
results of President Ma Ying-jeou's 'modus vivendi' foreign policy,
then an obvious factor behind it is a so-called 'goodwill' gesture
of Beijing. ... If both sides of the Taiwan Strait hope to reach a
peace pact, and given that the Beijing authorities will surely not
abandon the 'one China' framework, the room for both sides 'to
express or interpret' ['one China'] should at least be kept. That
way it can fill the basis for both sides to 'interact' on an equal
footing; not to block Taiwan's role in the international community
is one way to show that Beijing is turning its 'goodwill' into a
real gesture of 'sincerity.' ..."

D) "Taiwan Should Have More Confidence in Itself"

The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 130,000]
editorialized (5/1):

"... Even though the formal name of our country was not used, the
invitation [from the World Health Organization] has not only
recognized the official status of our country's Department of Health
(DOH) and its chief but has also invited the DOH to participate in
the World Health Assembly. We have gained respect and recognition
in terms of the bottom line of sovereignty and dignity on which we
insisted, so this is a rare breakthrough. ... Beijing's willingness
to loosen its grip is the main reason behind such a breakthrough.
Being able to agree that Taiwan is invited with the official titles
of the DOH and DOH minister showed that Beijing has adjusted its
previous strategy in hopes that the Taiwan people will feel its
goodwill. ..."

E) "WHA Invite Shows Progress"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post"
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (5/1):

"For the first time since the ROC government was expelled from the
United Nations in 1971, representatives of Taipei will be seated at
the World Health Assembly (WHA) when it convenes in Geneva later
this month for its annual meeting. ... The moniker [in the
invitation] marked a major change from the United Nations-affiliated
body's previous practice of referring to the ROC government as
'Taiwan, China' or 'Taiwan, province of China.' More importantly,
this was the first time that the DOH was invited to the WHA since
the government first began seeking participation in 1997."

F) "WHA's Invitation Is Sweet Poison"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation:
30,000] editorialized (5/1):

"One short faxed letter from WHO Director-General Margaret Chan
inviting 'Chinese Taipei' to participate in this month's World
Health Assembly (WHA) brought an end to 13 years of disappointment
on Tuesday when Taiwan finally achieved its goal of representation
at the WHO. The government predictably patted itself on the back,
attributing the watershed to its 'modus vivendi' policy of not
provoking China, and sought to demonstrate that it had not
compromised Taiwan's sovereignty to gain this achievement. But at
what cost was this 'breakthrough' achieved? The very fact that
Taiwan had to be invited and was not admitted in the usual manner is
the first cause for concern. The invitation came after secret
negotiations last month between representatives from Taipei and

Beijing. And while many in Taiwan will be pleased with the result,
it is imperative that the government stick to its March 13 promise
that it will release information at an appropriate time about how
this was achieved. ...

"People should not be content with reassurances that this is just
the latest example of Beijing's 'goodwill' if such goodwill is
conditional on the Taiwanese government considering itself part of
China. While 'Chinese Taipei' may be an acceptable name to the
government, to the rest of the world it implies that Taiwan is under
Beijing's heel. ... Another problem is that the invitation only
applies to this year. Fears that the invitation will need renewing
on an annual basis seem to have been confirmed. This is a worrying
development as it means Beijing will now have the ability to hold
Taiwanese and their health concerns to a form of ransom. How long
will it be before we start seeing election slogans such as 'Vote
KMT, stay in the WHA?'
While many people may be happy about what they see as the fruits of
President Ma Ying-jeou's cross-strait labor, they may not be so
ecstatic when they realize this government has pushed them another
step toward unification."

YOUNG