MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, NORTH KOREA

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000938 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, NORTH KOREA ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage August 5 on the legal cases involving former President Chen Shui-bian and his family; on the Taiwan government's move to take over a financially troubled local insurance company; on the looming water shortage for Taiwan; and on former U.S. President Bill Clinton's sudden visit to North Korea. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed the fact that no U.S. senator has visited Taiwan since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office. The article speculated that it was either because Washington has doubts about the Ma administration's pro-China policy, or the Ma administration does not want to deepen its relations with the United States. With regard to former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea, a "Liberty Times" op-ed piece said Clinton's mission is to break the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang and to handle the nuclear issue and missile crisis on the Korean Peninsula. An analysis in the pro-unification "United Daily News" said Clinton's visit has done Pyongyang a big favor by offering the latter a chance out of its predicament. End summary. ¶2. U.S.-Taiwan Relations "The Ma Administration's Befriending [Taiwan's] Enemy Country and Alienating Itself from Its Allies Will Ruin Taiwan's Sovereignty" The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] editorialized (8/5): "It is reported that seventeen members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two state governors have visited Taiwan since President Ma Ying-jeou assumed office, but no senator has yet to visit Taiwan. In the United States, senators are political heavyweights, and many U.S. presidents had been senators [before they became president]. As a result, it has always been the focus of our country's diplomatic work to invite senators to visit Taiwan in an attempt to increase their understanding of the island. The Ma administration's performance in this area, however, has not been very remarkable as of now. One possibility may be that the U.S. side has doubts about the Ma administration's pro-China policy, so the senators hung back and would not visit Taiwan; another possibility may be that the Ma administration has no intention at all to spend time deepening its relations with the United States, so Ma did not proactively try his best to invite the senators to come to Taiwan. "President Ma brags about how his 'diplomatic truce' [policy] has encouraged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to resume peaceful talks and how it has put an end to the fierce diplomatic fights across the Taiwan Strait. But in reality, it has sent Taiwan's sovereignty into a coma of 'diplomatic shock.' Over the past year, the Ma administration has kept its distance from the countries that are friendly with Taiwan; by contrast, China, which has been bent on annexing and destroying the Republic of China, has been viewed by the Ma administration as a good friend. The so-called 'cross-Strait relations surpassing everything' explains the Ma administration's overall policy of befriending [Taiwan's] enemy country while alienating itself from its allies. This is the fundamental reason why Taiwan's sovereignty is in a crisis. ..." ¶3. North Korea A) "Why Does [Bill] Clinton Suddenly Visit North Korea?" Former National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Parris Chang opined in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] (8/5): "... This is the first time that [former U.S. President] Bill Clinton has been on an official errand. Despite the fact that his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has been personally involved in the incident of the two [detained] journalists, Bill Clinton's special trip to Pyongyang may not necessarily be aimed at seeking a 'special pardon' for them. A more important mission for his trip to Pyongyang is to break the deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang and to handle the nuclear issue and missile crisis on the Korean Peninsula. ... "The United States expects China to try its best to impose pressure on Pyongyang, but Beijing has other plans; it will not and cannot be a 'cat's paw' for the United States. ... North Korea has been [U.S. President Barack] Obama's biggest and hardest challenge and test since he took over the helm. We are waiting eagerly to see what ingenious plans Clinton can come up with." B) "Bill Clinton Offers a Chance out of Predicament; Will Kim Jong Il Do Him a Favor [by Releasing the Detained U.S. Journalists?" Tokyo correspondent Chen Shih-chang wrote in an analysis in the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (8/5): "... This is a clever move by the Obama administration towards North Korea. ... What is more significant is that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il has already received Bill Clinton Tuesday evening. ... Kim's appearance could instantly remove all the doubts that the outside world has had about North Korea, and Clinton's visit has actually done a big favor to Pyongyang, offering the latter a chance to get out of the current predicament. "Judging from Washington's position, it is out of humanitarian concerns that Clinton has visited North Korea seeking the release of two U.S. reporters. Pyongyang, [on the other hand,] hopes to amend the cease fire agreement and establish diplomatic ties with the United States, and it also hopes that [Washington] would remove its economic sanctions on North Korea. These are the three big wishes on Pyongyang's side, and it appears that Clinton's visit has opened a small door for communication between the two sides. ... " WANG