MEDIA REACTION: NORTH KOREA, U.S.-CHINA-JAPAN RELATIONS

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000682

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: NORTH KOREA, U.S.-CHINA-JAPAN RELATIONS


1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news
coverage June 10 on President Ma Ying-jeou's decision to run for the
KMT chairmanship in July; on Ma's suggestion that people across the
Taiwan Strait be able to read traditional Chinese and write
simplified Chinese characters; and on the Ministry of Education's
plan to provide free lunches to elementary and junior high school
students next year. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a
column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" discussed the
possible "assassin's mace" the Obama Administration will use to cope
with North Korea. The article also said the United States rarely
has had a really consistent policy toward North Korea. The same
"China Times" column also discussed the possibility of establishing
a so-called G3 -- the United States, Japan and China. The article
said that, because of mistrust among the three nations, the chances
for the G3 are nil. End summary.


2. North Korea

"The Assassin's Mace of Obama to Cope with North Korea"

The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning
"China Times" [circulation: 130,000] wrote (6/10):

"What will be the assassin's mace of the Obama Administration use
against North Korea? According to what was revealed in the 'New
York Times,' it will be the eleventh and twelfth articles of the UN
draft sanctions -- namely, to intercept suspicious North Korean
ships and planes. It remains to be seen whether such articles will
be passed by the UN Security Council, but should it go over the
limit, tremendous trouble will ensue. ... Perhaps [U.S. President
Barack] Obama is clear that such a move will not be easily accepted
by the UN Security Council. But he has expressed a tough attitude
toward Pyongyang in the end after all. What happens next will be
discussed afterwards! U.S. presidents have [usually] gone back and
forth and changed their foreign policy all the time; it has been
like that for the North Korean policy in particular -- they were
angry for a while and then became happy for a while. Never has
there been a really fixed position. ... Obama has just assumed his
position and thus has yet to form a complete North Korean policy;
all he can do is to keep a high profile. The precedents of the
previous few U.S. presidents show that they always started tough
[toward Pyongyang] and turned soft afterwards, changing all the
time. What will Obama do?"


3. U.S.-China-Japan Relations

"Zero Chance for the so-called G3 of China, U.S. and Japan"

The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning
"China Times" [circulation: 130,000] wrote (6/9):

"... For the United States, the situation in which Washington used
Tokyo to suppress Beijing is no longer viable. The United States
now needs Japan and also China. But since there are some
differences between China and Japan, China will surely feel
suspicious and jealous if the United States puts the emphasis on
Japan. Should it be the other way around, Japan will surely feel
upset. As a result, it will be able to avoid conflict if a
three-sided group of U.S. China and Japan are all included, and it
will certainly benefit the United States in terms of economics,
trade and Asian security. ...

"Even though theoretically no side will be opposed to the
establishment of a G3, there are actually various obstacles in
practice. For starters, China and Japan do not trust each other. ...
Then there is the mistrust between China and the United States.
With the Taiwan issue alone, Beijing already believes that
Washington has encroached on China's core interests. Washington, on
the other hand, is afraid that, with China's rise, Beijing will
compete with the United States for hegemony in Asia and in the
world. None of these problems will be solved by the [establishment
of] a G3 alone. Besides, will not Russia and South Korea have
scruples against it as well? Thus, there is no problem that the
three sides cannot talk about with each other, but the chances of
grouping [the three nations] are nil."

WANG