US embassy cable - 04TAIPEI3584

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003584 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS AIT/W 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, TW 
SUBJECT: PFP ADVISOR BREAKS RANK, JOINS DPP CROSS-STRAIT 
COMMITTEE 
 
REF: TAIPEI 02074 
 
Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan, Reasons: 1.4 (B/D) 
 
1. (C) Summary: Former PFP International Affairs Director 
Raymond Wu told AIT that he intends to join President Chen 
Shui-bian's inter-party Cross-Strait Peace and Stability 
Committee after it is set up in early 2005.  Wu said he would 
join the committee even if his political mentor James Soong 
objected because he believes Soong and current Pan-Blue 
leaders have lost sight of the true aspirations of the Taiwan 
people.  Wu said that he attempted to introduce innovative 
ideas on cross-Strait policies to the Pan-Blue leadership but 
was ignored.  The Pan-Blue has said that it will boycott the 
committee.  However, should the DPP succeed in attracting 
other prominent Pan-Blue experts to participate, the Pan-Blue 
might find itself left out of cross-Strait policy debates. 
End Summary. 
 
DPP courts Wu again 
------------------- 
 
2. (C) Former People First Party (PFP) International Affairs 
Director Raymond Wu told AIT that National Security Council 
(NSC) Secretary General Chiou I-jen had asked him to 
participate in the inter-party Cross-Strait Peace and 
Stability Committee that Chen Shui-bian said he intends to 
set up in early 2005.  Wu said that he and Chiou had met to 
talk about the Committee twice since August, when Wu turned 
down an offer to be the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) vice 
chairman (Reftel).  Wu said that his decision to join the 
Committee would be contingent on whether or not the Chen 
administration showed it was serious about reducing 
cross-Strait tensions and resuming dialogue with the PRC.  Wu 
said he intends to ask the question directly to Chiou the 
next time they met. 
 
Pan-Blue out of touch with Taiwan 
--------------------------------- 
 
3. (C) Wu asserted that he would join the committee even if 
his political patron James Soong objected.  Wu admitted to 
AIT that he had rejected MAC's offer to be vice chairman 
solely because of Soong's flat disapproval.  However, after a 
period of soul searching, Wu explained, he had despaired over 
how out of touch with "Taiwan reality" Soong and current 
Pan-Blue leaders truly were.  Wu said that he traveled 
extensively throughout Taiwan with Soong during the 2000 
election, and heard what Taiwan people in the cities, 
countryside, towns, and villages had to say.  Wu said that it 
was infinitely clear that Taiwan identity is on the rise and 
if it were not for their fear of PRC attack, the people would 
choose independence. 
 
4. (C) Wu said he is baffled by Soong's recent declaration 
that there should be no trace of independence sentiment in 
the Pan-Blue.  Wu asserted that Soong heard the same voices 
on Taiwan identity and independence that he did, and at the 
time appeared more open to innovative ideas on cross-Strait 
relations.  Wu claimed that Soong gave him license to think 
creatively, and as a result, Wu wrote a policy paper that 
included the formulation "Taiwan is the Republic of China, 
the Republic of China is Taiwan" (Taiwan jiu shi Zhonghua 
Mingguo, Zhonghua Mingguo jiu shi Taiwan). 
 
5. (C) Wu said that he gave Soong and KMT Secretary General 
Lin Fong-cheng the policy paper during the 2004 presidential 
election but they took no action on it.  After the election, 
Wu presented his ideas to KMT Vice Chairman Vincent Siew, and 
Siew promised to propose them at a KMT Central Standing 
Committee (CSC) meeting.  Wu said in frustration, the 
formulation was watered down to "some meaningless phrase 
about the ROC being the best defense for Taiwan."  Wu said he 
feared that the Pan-Blue had no one working on cross-Strait 
policy at the moment, pointing out that former MAC Chairman 
Su Chi was no longer at the National Policy Foundation.  Wu 
asked rhetorically, "And who is left around James Soong?  PFP 
Policy Chief Chang Hsien-yao?  He stopped thinking when he 
started his LY campaign" 
 
In Soong's defense 
------------------ 
7. (C) While many of Soong's once close advisors have 
abandoned the increasing erratic PFP Chairman, PFP Legislator 
and Spokesman Daniel Hwang (Yih-jiau) defended the reasoning 
behind Soong's tack to the pro-unification extreme.  Hwang 
told AIT that Soong was convinced that there was no room in 
the Pan-Blue for Taiwan independence sentiments.  Hwang 
explained that the Pan-Blue must rid itself of Lee Teng-hui 
elements because "any hint of independence thinking would 
cause tensions with the PRC."  Hwang continued, "we do not 
buy ROC equals Taiwan, the ROC is still the union of the 
whole of China."  When asked about the Pan-Blue's 
presidential campaign promise that independence was an option 
for the future, Hwang replied that "Wang Jin-pyng said it; 
James Soong did not."  Hwang admitted that Soong did say the 
debate should be postponed, but explained that "postponing 
the debate does not mean that we are going to pursue 
independence."  He added that the PFP still stood for 
eventual reunification, but wanted China to catch up 
politically and economically.  Hwang stated that the PFP 
approach has been: "we will concentrate on the economy and 
act like an ostrich on political issues." 
 
Comment: Is Pan-Blue losing out? 
-------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) It will be interesting to see whether any other 
prominent Pan-Blue figures will break rank with the 
leadership and join the DPP's cross-Strait committee.  LY 
President and KMT Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng told AIT Acting 
Director November 9 that the Pan-Blue will boycott the 
committee as a DPP public relations ploy.  However, that 
characterization would be difficult to sustain should the DPP 
succeed in convincing other serious Pan-Blue cross-Strait 
policy experts to participate. 
PAAL