MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT, TAIWAN

UNCLAS BEIJING 000458 DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR CH SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT, TAIWAN -------------- Editorial Quotes -------------- ¶1. SECRETARY CLINTON'S VISIT a. "The bottom line and the height of Secretary Clinton's 'trial' visit" The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/23): "In view of the continuous efforts by the Bush administration on these issues; people believe that Secretary Clinton's visit to China will further improve U.S.-China diplomatic relations. The core issue of her visit was whether or not the U.S. and China would be able to find the space to cooperate on major issues concerning their central interests. It is the common view that the bilateral relations are important. But among the various important issues, the selection of which to emphasize will make a difference. How Secretary Clinton will coordinate these issues in the Department of State will also influence the height of U.S.-China relations in the future. In the next four years, the U.S. -China relationship will not be rewritten however, how the relationship turns out will still be evaluated according to its development." b. "Secretary Clinton avoids talking about China's human rights issues" The official Communist Party international news publication Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(02/23): "The subtle change in the new U.S. government's expressions concerning China's human rights issues is igniting a reaction in the West. Western media indicate that the U.S.' attitude on China is being softened. It is hard to judge whether the time where the U.S. 'points at China and teaches it a lesson' has passed. Chinese experts think that the latest stance, noted by Secretary Clinton, is very practical. This stance is a good one for other countries to imitate. Chinese experts indicate that being practical on China is the correct choice to make for the U.S. It shows that the leverage power between the U.S. and China is substantially changing because, nowadays, more and more issues require U.S.-China cooperation. Comparatively, human rights issues have become less important. However, the human rights issues still exist. The U.S. is currently restricted by external factors. As VOA reported, the bilateral relationship has moved from long-term confrontation to practical cooperation." ¶2. TAIWAN "The U.S. will not interfere with cross straight military exchanges" The official Xinhua News Agency international news publication International Herald Leader (Guoji Xianqu Daobao)(02/23): "Recently, the U.S. has made vague expressions concerning possible military dialogues about the mainland and Taiwan. The U.S. Pacific commander mentioned that he is willing to invite the Taiwanian and mainland military to Hawaii in order to talk. However, when Taiwan inquired about the meaning of such an expression, the Pentagon denied the invitation. In fact not attending cross-Strait dialogue doesn't mean the U.S. doesn't care about the cross-Strait peace process. Attending the dialogue is just a forum. At the same time, Secretary Clinton has expressed that the U.S. stance on Taiwan has not changed. The U.S. still supports 'no war, & no unification' on Taiwan issue. Currently, the cross-Strait relations are based on economic interests. There are still obstacles to military trust. The U.S. is waiting and watching for any further developments." PICCUTA