REPRESENTATIVE GINGREY'S MEETING WITH TAIWAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000941 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2019 TAGS: OVIP PREL ETRD ECON CVIS TW CH SUBJECT: REPRESENTATIVE GINGREY'S MEETING WITH TAIWAN PRESIDENT MA YING-JEOU Classified By: The Acting Director for reasons 1.4(b/d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Taiwan must be confident in its security and its relations with the United States if it is to continue to pursue its goal of reducing cross-Strait tensions, President Ma Ying-jeou told visiting Congressman Phil Gingrey during an August 6 meeting. Specifically, Ma urged the United States to approve the sale of F-16 C/Ds to replace Taiwan aging fleet of F-5s. Gingrey endorsed language in the Senate version of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act requiring DoD to prepare a plan to meet Taiwan's air defense needs. The lack of an extradition accord is making the United States a haven for white collar criminals from Taiwan, Ma stressed, creating friction in the overall relationship. Gingrey endorsed Taiwan's inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program once it resolves security issues in its passport issuance process. End Summary. Security: F-16 C/Ds Needed to Replace Aging F-5s -------------- --- ¶2. (C) Taiwan has made encouraging progress in reducing cross-Strait tensions in the 14 months since his administration took office, President Ma Ying-jeou told visiting Representative Gingrey during their August 6 meeting. This has made the region more stable, benefitting Taiwan, the United States and other countries in the region. Expanded Taiwan-China economic and commercial ties also help buffer Taiwan from the worst of the recent global economic downturn, Ma said, but also made it clear the dangers of over-reliance on the Chinese market. ¶3. (C) Taiwan needs to be confident of its security if it is to continue to engage China, Ma stressed. In particular, Taiwan needs to replace its rapidly-aging fleet of F-5s. Gingrey noted that the Senate version of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act highlights this concern and requires the Department of Defense to lay out a plan to meet U.S. obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) to address the problem. Rep. Gingrey instructed his Chief of Staff to confirm whether the House draft included a similar provision which, he told Ma, would hopefully make it into the final, reconciled version. Ma made clear that Taiwan's pending request to upgrade its current F-16 A/B fleet would not address the larger problem of replacing the other aging airframes. Extradition: "Taiwan's Madoffs" at Large in the U.S. -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Ma then turned to the need to conclude a bilateral extradition agreement. The President noted that he personally worked to arrange the return of two criminal suspects when he was Justice Minister in the 1990s, and also cited the repatriation to the United States of a suspect wanted for child molestationin as proof that Taiwan is doing its part to support our law enforcement efforts. Concern is growing in Taiwan, though, over the large number of high-profile criminal suspects who have fled to the United States. While U.S. law enforcement agencies are doing their best to address Taiwan's concerns, Ma said, the lack of an extradition agreement is increasingly frustrating. The time has come to pursue an agreement based on the "Yugolavia model," the President said. Gingrey thanked the President for Taiwan's continued assistance in law enforcement efforts, noting that Taiwan is understandably concerned that the United States is a haven for white collar criminals. Cases like the Madoff fraud illustrate how damaging white collar crime can be, he said. ¶5. (C) While Taiwan needs to address some technical concerns and lower its visa application refusal rate, allowing Taiwan travelers to enter the United States would be in the interests of both sides, Ma said. Noting that the UK, Ireland, Japan and a number of other countries have already granted Taiwan visa waiver status, he urged Rep. Gingrey to support the island's candidacy at the earliest possible time. ¶6. (C) Gingrey acknowledged that he has concerns about expanding the visa waiver program too quickly or to countries that do not meet rigorous standards, but said he supports Taiwan's inclusion in the program once it addresses security issues in its passport issuance process. The need is particularly timely, he said, given the global economic downturn and the role Taiwan tourists can play in stimulating TAIPEI 00000941 002 OF 002 economic activity. ¶7. (C) Taiwan is also interested in pursuing a free trade agreement with the United States, Ma said, but understands that this goal will be difficult to achieve in the short term. Instead, Taiwan will focus on individual agreements, including a bilateral investment treaty and a double-taxation treaty, as stepping stones to a larger accord. ¶8. (U) Representative Gingrey did not have an opportunity to clear this message. WANG