THE DIRECTOR MEETS NEW FM YANG

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 001146

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2019
TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD AMGT UNGA MARR EAGR CVIS ABLD
TW, CH
SUBJECT: THE DIRECTOR MEETS NEW FM YANG

REF: TAIPEI 1105

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Classified By: the Director for reasons 1.4(b/d)


1. (C) Summary: Although the results of President Ma's
"diplomatic truce" with the PRC were mixed, Taiwan would
continue efforts to improve cross-Strait ties,
newly-appointed Foreign Minister Timothy Yang told the
Director during their very cordial September 21 introductory
meeting. Taiwan would ask its diplomatic allies to circulate
position papers laying out its case for expanded
participation in ICAO and the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC),Yang said. Before Taiwan could even
be considered for the Visa Waiver Program, the Director told
Yang, Taiwan needed to improve its passport issuance
procedures. Yang made a pitch for renewing U.S.
cabinet-level visits to Taiwan and emphasized the need to
replace Taiwan's aging fleet of combat aircraft. The
Director urged swift action on U.S. beef and asked for MOFA
help in resolving permitting issues for the construction of a
new AIT office compound. End Summary.


2. (C) Newly-appointed Foreign Minister Timothy Yang told the
Director during their September 21 introductory call that he
would continue the pragmatic foreign policy of his
predecessor and of President Ma Ying-jeou. This policy
recognized that it was important to pay attention to what was
going on in the world, and not just on Taiwan, Yang said.
This policy's impact on cross-Strait ties was clear, with a
number of agreements signed and tensions greatly reduced.
Although Taiwan's improved relations with China drew the most
headlines, the U.S. relationship remained Taiwan's most
important. This was not only because the United States and
Taiwan shared common interests, but also common values. Yang
expressed appreciation for U.S. support and encouragement
which, he said, gave Taipei the confidence to pursue
rapprochement with Beijing.

"Diplomatic Truce" Results Mixed
--------------


3. (C) Judging by his just-concluded assignment as Taiwan's
chief representative in Indonesia, Yang said, it was not
clear that PRC diplomats had responded to President Ma's
"diplomatic truce" by being less aggressive in efforts to
isolate Taiwan. One possible explanation, Yang said, was
that PRC diplomats overseas had not yet been given
instructions on how to deal with their Taiwan counterparts.
Certainly, he noted, the PRC Foreign Ministry was notoriously
conservative on Taiwan issues. Finally, it was possible that
instances of apparent ill-will by PRC diplomats reflected
individual actions, rather than a coordinated MFA effort.
The Ma administration was committed to its pragmatic approach
to relations with the mainland, Yang said, and was prepared
to be positive and patient in bringing about changes in PRC
behavior.

UNGA Approach (Nearly) Final
--------------


4. (C) The Director noted that President Ma, National
Security Council Secretary General and others had urged the
United States to offer public support for Taiwan's efforts to
expand its participation in international organizations. The
United States was willing to be supportive, but needed to
have a concrete proposal to say what exactly it might be able
to do. Yang noted that the Foreign Ministry would announce
the details of its strategy later that day. Rather than
asking its diplomatic allies to send a letter to UN Secretary
General Ban, as originally planned (reftel),one or two
allies would write directly to ICAO and UNFCCC members,
conveying MOFA-drafted position papers laying out Taiwan's
case for expanded participation. (Note: In a follow-on
conversation with AIT Pol Chief, MOFA International
Organizations Division Director General Paul Chang said the
final versions of these papers had not yet been cleared.)
Likewise, during the UNGA general debate, one or two allies
would speak in favor of the proposal. Taiwan's goal was to
get its point across in the least confrontational manner
possible, he underscored.


5. (C) Noting the importance of Chinese views on the success

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of this effort, the Director asked whether officials from
Taiwan had been in touch with their PRC counterparts. During
his consultations in Washington prior to arrive in Taipei, he
said, senior U.S. officials stressed the need for better
understanding of Taiwan's outreach to the PRC. Yang agreed
that it was important for Taiwan and the United States to
keep in close touch about cross-Strait discussions, to avoid
surprises, but said he did not know whether or if Taipei had
previewed its UN approach with Beijing. Yang suggested that
National Security Advisor Su Chi and Mainland Affairs Council
Chair Lai Shin-yuan were the best sources of information on
cross-Strait contacts.

Visa Waiver Needs Better Passports, Patience
--------------


6. (C) The United States also wanted to see closer ties with
Taiwan, the Director said. Many of the issues on the table
were complicated, he noted, so it would be important to be
patient as we worked through them. For example, the United
States was aware of Taiwan's interest in gaining entry into
the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The changes Taiwan needed to
make to its passport issuance procedures before it would even
be eligible for consideration for VWP, the Director said,
reportedly could require new Taiwan legislation and take
one-and-a-half to two years. While fixing this weakness
would not guarantee Taiwan admission to the program, the
Director stressed, it was an essential precondition for
consideration and would, in any event, improve Taiwan's
security.

Time for Final Action on Beef
--------------


7. (C) On the economic side of the relationship, the Director
said, it was time to conclude discussions on U.S beef, which
were holding up important conversations on other key trade,
investment and economic concerns. Yang assured the Director
that the issue was in its final stages. All that we needed,
he stressed, was "a bit more patience." The Director
emphasized that, while patience was a virtue, the time had
come to see concrete results.

Cabinet-Level Visits and F-16s
--------------


8. (C) Among the other issues on the bilateral agenda, Yang
said, was resuming visits to Taiwan by U.S. cabinet-level
officials. Pointing out how smoothly President Ma's U.S.
transits had gone, Yang stressed that Taipei would not use a
cabinet Secretary visit to score political points with the
PRC. In addition to the substantive benefits such a trip
might produce, however, it would boost Taiwan's morale and
make the administration more confident in dealing with
Beijing. The Director noted that Washington was already
discussing the issue and did not want the fact that there had
been no such visits during the last administration to set a
precedent for the future.


9. (C) Yang briefly raised Taiwan's interest in maintaining
the strong U.S.-Taiwan security relationship and, in
particular, in acquiring F-16 C/Ds to replacing its aging
fleet of aircraft. Increasingly, Yang said, Taiwan's
aircraft were obsolete and the cross-Strait military
situation imbalance was growing.

NOC Issues
--------------


10. (C) The Director briefed Yang on efforts to begin work on
the AIT New Office Compound (NOC). The NOC would be the
first "diplomatic style" compound built in Taipei, and
municipal authorities therefore were perhaps not familiar
with these buildings' special requirements. As a result, the
Director said, they were attempting to enforce existing
zoning and other permit requirements that were inappropriate
for such a facility. Acting on a recommendation by National
Security Council Deputy Secretary General Ho Sze-yin, the
Director said, MOFA North American Affairs Director General
Harry Tseng had already agreed to participate in AIT meetings
with city officials, to ensure they understood the need for
flexibility. The Director also noted that AIT might seek to

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secure a long-term lease on a piece of property adjacent to
the NOC site, and might need MOFA help to make this happen.
"Our support in principle is there on both issues," Yang
replied, noting that it nonetheless would be important to
iron out the specific details.
STANTON