Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09AITTAIPEI938
2009-08-05 09:36:00
UNCLASSIFIED
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Cable title:  

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

Tags:  OPRC KMDR KPAO TW 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0938/01 2170936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050936Z AUG 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2051
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9318
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0751
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

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