MA YING-JEOU, HU JINTAO EXCHANGE LETTERS THROUGH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000904

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL TW CH
SUBJECT: MA YING-JEOU, HU JINTAO EXCHANGE LETTERS THROUGH
KMT-CCP CHANNEL

REF: TAIPEI 0903

Classified By: Acting AIT Director Robert S. Wang,
for Reasons 1.4(B) and (D).


1. (C) Summary. President Ma Ying-jeou, elected Kuomintang
(KMT) Party Chairman on July 26, received a congratulatory
letter the same day from Hu Jintao, in his capacity as
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Ma
sent a reply the following day thanking Hu for his message
and calling for both sides to continue efforts to promote
cross-Strait peace and stability, according to local media.
Government and party officials emphasized that congratulatory
messages from CCP General Secretaries to newly-elected KMT
Chairs had taken place since Lee Teng-hui was president and
cautioned observers not to read too much into the most recent
exchange, dismissing any talk of a Ma-Hu meeting in the near
future. Both Mainland Affairs Council Chair Lai Shin-yuan
and National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi
separately noted that Ma's response affirmed the warming
relations between Taipei and Beijing and conveyed Ma's
commitment to maintaining the KMT-CCP channel. End summary.

Hu's Letter, Nothing New?
--------------


2. (C) In separate conversations July 27 and 28, both
National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Su Chi and
KMT Deputy Secretary-General Zhang confirmed the exchange of
letters between Ma and Hu as leaders of their respective
political parties and noted that this was, in fact, the
second exchange between the two. (Note: The previous exchange
took place in 2005 when Ma was first elected KMT Chairman.
End note.) The letters had been received and sent via fax
through KMT DSYG Zhang's office in Taipei. (See text below
para 7.) The exchange of congratulatory messages was merely
a courtesy, said Zhang, which has taken place with all KMT
Chairs since Lee Teng-hui.

Meaning in the Exchange, Not the Message
--------------


3. (C) The significance, MAC Chair Lai Shin-yuan told ADIR in
a July 28 meeting, was the exchange, not Hu's message. From
the PRC's point of view, a letter to newly-elected KMT Chairs
was nothing new. Lee Teng-hui was also president when he was
elected KMT Chair, twice. Ma's response, however, would be
the first time a sitting president had responded to a
congratulatory message from a CCP General Secretary. Lai
added that Ma's letter was intended as reassurance of the
warming cross-Strait relationship. Lai emphasized that
despite the exchange, the Straits Exchange Foundation remains
the only official organ authorized to sign agreements with
the mainland. Both the Mainland Affairs Council and
President Ma welcome fuller cross-Strait interactions,
including the KMT-CCP forum, Lai added.

DPP: Ma Restricting Options for Taiwan's Future
-------------- --


4. (C) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chair Tsai Ing-wen,
in a meeting with ADIR today, disagreed with official
comments that a precedent existed for this particular
exchange, claiming it was the first time that letters have
been exchanged between an elected Taiwan president and
Chinese leaders. (Note: Although CCP General Secretaries
Zhao Ziyang and Jiang Zemin sent congratulatory messages to
Lee Teng-hui on his election as KMT Chair in 1988 and 1993
while he was president, Lee was not directly elected until
1996 and he did not respond to either message. End note.)
Tsai worried that Ma's interaction with Hu was just one more
step toward limiting Taiwan's options for the future. Ma's
willingness to respond to Hu and his failure to use any
title, including Chairman-elect (not to mention "President"),
in that response was indicative of Ma's continued compromise
of Taiwan's sovereignty and options for the future. (See
reftel.)

No Ma-Hu Meeting Planned
--------------

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5. (C) NSC Su Chi, KMT DSYG Zhang, and MAC Chair Lai all
downplayed the possibility of a Ma-Hu meeting. Ma is
cautious, Zhang said, and China understands the situation on
Taiwan. While Zhang left open the possibility of a Ma-Hu
meeting during a Ma second term, he emphasized that in his
meetings with PRC officials, including Wang Yi, it was clear
that there was no expectation of a meeting between the two
leaders. In a separate July 27 conversation with ADIR, NSC
Su Chi said that Ma is still taking things one step at a
time, and that the exchange does not reflect an intention on
Ma's part to meet with Hu at any point in the near future.
MAC Chair Lai underscored the importance of a gradual
approach on cross-Strait political relations.

KMT-CCP Channel Still Important
--------------


6. (C) KMT DSYG Zhang said that the real impact of Ma's
election as KMT Chair on the KMT-CCP channel depends on whom
he chooses to send as a representative to the KMT-CCP forum.
Zhang said that because the two sides cannot speak directly
on an official basis, Beijing values the KMT-CCP channel and
worries about anything that might weaken it. Su Chi told the
ADIR that the exchange of letters demonstrated Ma's intention
to maintain the channel between the KMT and CCP. In the
larger sense, said Su Chi, this recent exchange reflects
Taiwan's more general efforts to persuade the mainland to
accept the concept of "mutual non-denial" and to face the
reality of Taiwan's existence in more practical ways.

Text of Letters
--------------


7. (SBU) Rough translation of Hu's message to Ma, as reported
by local press:

Begin text.

July 27, 2009

Dear Mr. Ma:

My warmest congratulations on your election as KMT Chairman
(Zhongguo Guomin Tang). I sincerely hope both the KMT and
CCP continue to promote the peaceful development of
cross-Strait relations, deepen political mutual trust, seek
the wellbeing of compatriots on both sides of the Straits and
begin the renaissance of the Chinese people.

Hu Jintao
General Secretary
Chinese Communist Party

End text.

(SBU) Rough translation of Ma's reply to Hu, as reported by
local press:

Begin text.

July 27, 2009 (Republic Year of 98)

Dear Mr. Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Chinese
Communist Party,

I am very much obliged to you after learning of the
congratulatory message that you sent me.

Thanks to the efforts of our two parties, cross-Strait
relations have evolved peacefully and steadily on the basis
of the "1992 consensus" over the past four years. Such
development has not only lived up to the expectations of the
people on the two sides but also won the recognition of
countries around the world.

From now on, we should continue to comply with public opinion
and make strenuous efforts to safeguard cross-Strait peace,
rebuild regional stability, and ensure the sustained
development and prosperity of the two sides under the

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principles of "facing reality, bolstering mutual trust,
setting aside differences, and creating a win-win situation."

With seasonal compliments, and yours respectfully,
Ma Ying-jeou

End text.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) While Taiwan officials sent the consistent message
that the most recent exchange of letters between Ma and Hu
was merely a courtesy, they also stressed both Ma and Beijing
clearly value the KMT-CCP channel and Ma's unprecedented
response signaled a desire to further improve cross-Strait
relations. There remains a question of whom Ma may send to
represent the KMT during KMT-CCP talks, but our interlocutors
agreed that any discussion of a potential Ma-Hu meeting is
premature.
WANG