FM OU ON BILATERAL RELATIONS, TRA ANNIVERSARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000197 SIPDIS GENEVA FOR HOHMAN DEPARTMENT PASS TO AIT/W - BARBARA SCHRAGE DEPARTMENT FOR OBO - TOM SWARTZ DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/EX - MARY MARTINEZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV AMGT ABLD CVIS CH TW SUBJECT: FM OU ON BILATERAL RELATIONS, TRA ANNIVERSARY PLANS, TRANSITS, WHA Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary. Foreign Minister Ou assured the Director on February 18 that the Foreign Ministry will keep AIT fully abreast of its planning for events related to the 30th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and said no events are being planned on or around April 3, the anniversary of the TRA signing (and the expected date of the upcoming POTUS-Hu Jintao meeting in London). He asked for U.S. and other international support for establishing a technical channel between Taiwan and PRC representatives in Geneva to discuss WHA observership. Ou also noted President Ma Ying-jeou's desire for FTA and extradition agreements with the U.S. and his hope for U.S. visa waiver status. Cross-Strait relations are on the right track, Ou suggested, and planning is underway for the next round of SEF-ARATS talks, possibly in late-April. Finally, Ou informed the Director recent press reports that TECRO would close some of its thirteen U.S. offices were inaccurate. End Summary. TRA Anniversary: Low Profile Commemoration in U.S. -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) In a February 18 meeting at the Foreign Ministry, FM Francisco Ou told the Director he believed mutual trust between the U.S. and Taiwan has been restored, vowing that he would continue to work with the U.S. in a transparent manner consistent with Taiwan's "no surprises" policy. Saying he understood U.S. concerns that Taiwan's prticipation in events related to the 30th anniversary of the TRA remain low profile, Ou explained that no events are being scheduled on or around April 3, when a POTUS-Hu Jintao meeting may take place. Ou also said that no high-level Taiwan officials would be participating in TRA anniversary events in Washington. However, the Heritage Foundation has invited Mainland Affairs Council Chair Lai Shin-yuan to participate in a late April event. According to Ou, Lai has not yet accepted or declined. U.S. Relations Focus on FTA, VWP, and Extradition -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) The discussion next turned to the three objectives President Ma Ying-jeou recently laid out for Taiwan's �0A;relations with the United States: a Free Trade Agreement (FTA); participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP); and an extradition agreement. North American Affairs Division Director General Harry Tseng, who accompanied Ou, acknowledged the difficulty of achieving an FTA, but hoped for progress on Taiwan's participation in the Visa Waiver Program and on an extradition agreement. On visa waiver, the Director noted the need for Taiwan to address a number of technical issues before it would even be eligible for consideration. While the security features of Taiwan's new electronic passports were very good, problems with the issuance process, specifically for minors, undermined passport security. Ou responded that MOFA was working to address these concerns in a way that would not require legislation. Tseng offered that it might be possible to change current passport regulations to require an initial appearance by all applicants, including minors. FM Ou said MOFA would keep AIT informed of any developments. ¶4. (C) The Foreign Minister said President Ma has made no decisions on whether to attend either of the presidential inaugurations in Panama (June) or El Salvador (July). It is likely Ma will attend only one of the inaugurations and add a side trip to another ally in the region, a standard practice on visits to Latin America, Ou noted. ¶5. (C) The Director raised the AIT New Office Compound (NOC) project. Ou agreed to press for the timely issuance of construction permits and the elimination of any unnecessary delays. He also said he would support AIT's efforts to acquire a property adjacent to the NOC site. Ou told the Director that media reports that Taiwan was considering TAIPEI 00000197 002 OF 002 closing some of its 13 TECRO offices in the United States were inaccurate. PRC Relations on Track, Taiwan Seeks Help on WHA Observership -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Cross-Strait relations are on the right track, Ou told the Director, and the possibility of signing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with the mainland is growing. Many Southeast Asian countries have indicated their desire to see an agreement signed between Taiwan and the mainland before they engage in trade talks with Taiwan. Ou also noted that planning is moving forward for the third round of Cross-Strait talks, possibly to take place in late April. ¶7. (C) Although Taiwan can sense good will from high-level PRC officials toward Taiwan's desire to more fully participate in international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO),the time is quickly running out for holding technical discussions on how Taiwan could achieve observership at the WHA meeting in May. Any real solution, said Ou, would require not only high-level good will, but also a channel to discuss technical details. Establishing such a channel will require support from the international community, especially the U.S., Ou maintained, adding that the most appropriate channel for technical discussions would be between the Taiwan and PRC representatives in Geneva. Taiwan would appreciate any assistance the U.S. could provide in helping to establish such a channel, Ou said. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) FM Ou is the first foreign minister in memory here not to be an American expert. He is certainly conversant on U.S.-Taiwan issues, but it is clear to us that Vice Minister Andrew Hsia and the North American Division under Harry Tseng are taking the lead on these issues. WANG