MEDIA REACTION: FIRST YEAR OF PRESIDENT OBAMA, U.S.-TAIWAN

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000104 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - THOMAS HAMM DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: FIRST YEAR OF PRESIDENT OBAMA, U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage January 27 on a Taiwan Air Force Academy T-34C twin-seat training aircraft, which went missing near Kaohsiung Tuesday; on President Ma Ying-jeou's transit in San Francisco en route to Honduras; on developments in cross-Strait relations; and on possible U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Several papers also covered a digital video conference AIT held Tuesday on "American Think Tanks - Views on Recent Cross-Strait Developments." ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the KMT-leaning "China Times" discussed the first year of U.S. President Barack Obama and said Obama is ready "to change and to strive for the wellbeing of the poor common people in the United States." An op-ed in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," written by a freelance writer based in Hawaii, discussed retired U.S. Admiral Timothy Keating's recent visit to Taiwan, his meeting with President Ma, and his impression of Taiwan. End summary. ¶3. First Year of President Obama "Obama Seeks Change to Win Back People's Support" Columnist Lin Po-wen wrote in his column in the KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 120,000] (1/27): "... On can tell from a straw in the wind, [such as the Democratic Party's defeat in the Senate election] in Massachusetts [last week], that [people's sentiments] throughout the United States are changing. It happened to be the day that [President Barack] Obama had assumed office for a full year when the [seat in the Senate representing] Massachusetts changed [from the Democratic Party to the Republican], and he had thus received a political warning signal. Obama is very smart; he knows he must change his work style and administrative focus. ... Obama also made some strategic and tactical mistakes. He handed the authority to steer the health care reform to the Democratic leaders in the Senate and the House, while he himself hid in the White House dealing with other businesses. As a result, the healthcare policy lost its focus, and Congressmen from some remote places did their utmost to turn the health bill into a patchwork. ... But health care is not the biggest problem facing Obama. His major problem is the high unemployment rate (10 percent). ... "When Obama learned about the [warning] message, he decided to make some changes. He won the [U.S.] voters' approval [a year ago] because of his call for 'change.' A year has passed, and when people saw no change in Washington, they got disappointed. Obama wants to do something different from what he has done the past year -- in his State of the Union address to be delivered Wednesday to the Congress, Obama is going to alleviate the economic pressure of the middle class by reducing their taxes. Over the past year, Obama has overlooked the middle class, who are the backbone of U.S. society, and now he wants to make it up to them. He also wants to start walking the line of populism. He used to be viewed as elite, a cut above other people in every aspect. Now he is ready to lower himself, to change, and to strive for the wellbeing of the poor common people [in the United States]. He still has time and room to improve, and he ought to bring his leadership into full play and be a helmsman who is really in charge." ¶4. U.S.-Taiwan Relations "Keating Impressed by Visit to Taiwan" Richard Halloran, a freelance writer based in Hawaii, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (1/27): "... As serving officers, [Admiral Timothy] Keating and other US admirals and generals have been prohibited by successive administrations in Washington from traveling to Taiwan out of deference to the political sensitivities of Chinese leaders. The reaction in Beijing to any hint of US support for Taiwan has ranged from indignant to belligerent. Those restrictions, plus the absence of diplomatic relations between Taipei and Washington and the lack of robust military relations that US armed forces experience in many other nations, makes first-hand observations of officers like Keating all the more useful. He has reported them to Pacific Command and the Pentagon. 'The leaders I met in Taipei repeatedly expressed a desire to see senior US active duty military officers and high level diplomats come visit Taiwan to see for themselves,' Keating said by telephone from his home in Virginia. "The centerpiece of his visit was the meeting with Ma, who spoke with him in English. 'President Ma "gets it," Keating said, 'with a longer range and wider view of the opportunities for statesmanship across the [Taiwan] Strait.' ... Keating said he came home convinced that 'there has to be a way to resolve this dispute. We RELATIONS should continue to seek a solution.' He suggested, however, that he did not have a proposal. Ma told Keating that he saw a need for four parties to resolve the 60-year-old dispute, according to US officers. The first two are the governments in Beijing and Washington because the Taiwan Relations Act requires the US to help the people of Taiwan to determine their own future. The third party was, obviously, the government in Taiwan. The fourth, Ma said, would be the opposition parties that must have a say if a lasting solution is to be found. That was seen as a political reality in Taiwan's evolving democracy. ... Keating seemed impressed with Taiwan's forces. ... But he expressed mild dissatisfaction with US diplomatic delegation in Taipei. 'The American Institute in Taiwan is like an embassy except our people there don't fly the American flag. That's something that should be reconsidered,' he said." STANTON