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
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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.
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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

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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