US embassy cable - 04TAIPEI3924

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TAIPEI 003924 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - 
ROBERT PALLADINO 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, TW, Foreign Policy 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN MEDIA COVERAGE OF PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI- 
BIAN'S COMMENTS ON U.S. OPPOSITION TO TAIWAN'S NAME 
CHANGE PLAN 
 
Summary:  State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli 
said Monday (12/6/04) the United States does not 
support Taiwan's plan to replace "China" with "Taiwan" 
in the names of all its overseas representative offices 
and state-owned enterprises because these name changes 
would appear to unilaterally change Taiwan's status. 
President Chen Shui-bian said Tuesday (12/7/04) during 
a campaign rally in Tainan the reason why the United 
States does not support Taiwan's name changes is 
because of pressure coming from China.  The United 
States is simply conveying the attitude of China, Chen 
said.  Almost all the Taipei dailies Wednesday 
(12/8/04) reported on their front pages the State 
Department comment and Chen's reaction.  Headlines and 
major block quotes of the Chinese-language news reports 
follow. 
 
A) "Facing Heavy Pressure from the United States, 
President Chen Shui-bian Calls for [the Taiwan] People 
to Back Him" 
(p.1, conservative/pro-unification United Daily News, 
12/8/04; by Ling Pei-chun, Lee Tzu-tong, and Hsin Chi- 
sung) 
 
"After the United States explicitly expressed its 
opposition to Taiwan's name change plan, President Chen 
Shui-bian stressed Tuesday evening during a campaign 
rally in Tainan that the United States is merely 
expressing the opposition of China.  Chen said he is 
under great pressure, including that from the United 
States.  Chen also called on the local people to 
support him so that `A-Bian can speak out louder and 
louder.' 
 
"Following the State Department's open announcement of 
its opposition to Taiwan's name changes Monday, both 
the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs clarified Tuesday that President Chen's plan to 
`rectify [Taiwan's] name is not an attempt to change 
the status quo unilaterally and does not violate his 
`five No's' pledge.'  President Chen, however, did not 
modify his previous statement and emphasized again 
Tuesday evening his determination to push for 
[Taiwan's] name changes. 
 
"Chen stressed that the coming legislative election is 
not just about electing legislators; instead, it is 
about national status and national identity, and 
whether Taiwan will become a part of China.  He will 
fight China by passing over one threshold after another 
and hopes that the Taiwan people would support him and 
let him speak out loud to China, Chen said. 
 
"According to Chen, the media reported that the United 
States opposes Taiwan's plan to change names.  When he 
pushed for a peaceful referendum on March 20, the 
United States also opposed it by saying that it was a 
move by Taiwan to unilaterally change the status quo. 
Many people were scared to death at that moment, 
thinking that it would be `disastrous' [to go ahead] 
without U.S. support for the referendum. 
 
"Chen said the United States' announcement that it does 
not support [Taiwan's] name purely reflects the 
opposition of the Beijing authorities.  It is China 
that is placing pressure on the United States and 
asking Washington to convey its opposition to Taiwan's 
plan, just like what happened during the March 20 
referendum. 
 
"Chen asked `Do we have to stop doing it just because 
China opposes it?'  China has never approved of any of 
the moves done in the past concerning Taiwan's 
democratic reforms, including the lifting of martial 
law and the public vote to elect the president.  China 
has always threatened to wage war against Taiwan in all 
the situations above.  But Chen did not compromise nor 
concede.  `Everyone should make up his mind and have 
confidence' [and] `a referendum is a universal value 
and a basic human right that no country or government 
can deprive or restrict people from having,' Chen said. 
Although he is under heavy pressure, `including that 
from the United States and from within the island,' 
Chen said, he still insists on holding the referendum. 
 
"According to Chen, to change the name of "ROC" is not 
a simple matter.  All that remains of the Republic of 
China now is Taiwan, and `Taiwan is our name.'  Chen 
added that during his term of office, he will 
`eradicate all KMT influence' to terminate the long 
history of a government system in which the ruling 
party equaled the nation.  He will differentiate 
between Taiwan and China so that the world will not 
think Taiwan is a part of China, Chen said." 
 
B) "Chen Passionately Talks Back to the United States; 
The Presidential Office: [We] Will Mend the Rifts [with 
Washington] after the Legislative Elections" (P.3, 
centrist/pro-status quo China Times, 12/8/04; by Lin 
Shu-ling, Tsai Hui-chen, Chen Chung-jung, Chen Yu- 
hsien, Lisa Hsu, Yang Shu-fen, and Chen Chia-hung) 
 
"Following the United States' strongly worded 
statement, President Chen gave a passionate speech on 
his name change policy during a campaign rally in 
Tainan City Tuesday evening, which drew a lot of 
attention.  Sources said Chen's talk Tuesday evening 
was all his own doing. 
 
"A high-ranking official of the Presidential Office 
said later Tuesday evening that the logic of 
campaigning is different from that of other issues.  If 
[Chen's remarks] did harm Taipei-Washington relations, 
Taiwan will try to mend them after the election results 
come out. 
 
"Sources said when the [Taiwan] authorities learned 
about the State Department's public opposition to 
Taiwan's plan to replace `China' with `Taiwan' in the 
names of all its overseas representative offices and 
state-owned enterprises, they started to clarify the 
issue for the local public through the Presidential 
Office, the Executive Yuan and DPP headquarters.  They 
did not intend to heat up the issue or challenge the 
U.S. response.  Thus, Chen's passionate talk in Tainan 
City Tuesday evening astonished some senior officials. 
 
"A high-ranking official believes that rifts between 
Taiwan and the United States are inevitable during the 
campaigning process.  [Chen's] administration has done 
its best to try to minimize these rifts.  Taiwan will 
seek to mend the rifts after the election results come 
out if the rifts have done any damage to Taipei- 
Washington ties.  Taiwan and the United States will 
have an open and honest dialogue in the wake of the 
legislative elections, the official added. 
 
"In fact, the authorities held an emergency meeting 
early Tuesday morning to discuss how government 
agencies will give the same story in response [to the 
State Department's comment].  They decided to emphasize 
that the name change plan is [meant] to highlight 
Taiwan's sense of entity and has nothing to do with 
changing the nation's title.  Seeking to change the 
names of the government's overseas representative 
offices and changing the status quo are two separate 
issues, and the Taiwan government will act in 
accordance with its national interests, continuing 
negotiations with its allies to win their understanding 
and support, and to prevent other people from 
mistakenly assuming that Taiwan wants to alter the 
status quo, the official added. . 
 
"Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai admitted that President 
Chen did not inform Washington in advance before he 
announced the plan to rectify the names of Taiwan's 
state-owned enterprises and overseas representative 
offices.  But Chen emphasized that relevant actions to 
rectify Taiwan's name were started while the KMT was 
the ruling party, and the plan to change the names of 
Taiwan's overseas representative offices was not 
initiated by the DPP government, either.  "Since the 
United States has the `Taiwan Relations Act,' what will 
it call us if it does not want to address us as 
`Taiwan?' Chen asked." 
 
C) "When the Election Goes Wild, There is No End to the 
Pain to U.S.-Taiwan Relations" 
(P.3, centrist/pro-status quo China Times, 12/8/04; by 
Lisa Hsu) 
 
"Whenever there is an election, there will be pain to 
U.S.-Taiwan relations.  Last winter it was because of 
the referendum, and this year it is about [Taiwan's] 
declaration that it will change the names of its 
overseas missions and state-owned enterprises.  What is 
different is that the United States has reacted faster 
and faster.  Whenever President Chen Shui-bian makes a 
move, the United States draws a red line accordingly. 
Moreover, the level of the U.S. official that makes 
responses is merely that of the spokesman or the deputy 
spokesman of the State Department, but the level of 
Taiwan official that responds covers all levels.  When 
the United States puts the squeeze on Taiwan, it surely 
bullies Taiwan a lot. 
 
"The names and forms of Taiwan's overseas missions vary 
a lot.  In the past, Taiwan has discussed with the 
United States changes to the names of Taiwan's 
representative offices in the United States.  However, 
the United States believes that there is no hurry to do 
this and they will start with whatever they are able to 
do first.  For example, the United States has 
`rectified' the name of the General Affairs Section to 
Political Section within AIT. . 
 
"The tempo of Taiwan elections is very quick.  This is 
quite different from the logic of diplomatic affairs 
that [holds that] deep water runs slowly.  However, 
when it comes to elections, diplomacy will have to be 
second in priority.  When there is no sufficient prior 
communication concerning major foreign policies, they 
often end up in a messy situation..  Now it's election 
season again.  Judged from the reaction of the United 
States, [it is evident that] Washington is still 
nervous about Taiwan's campaign rhetoric.  Top-level 
officials in the Taiwan government always think they 
can clear things up after the elections.  However, in 
reality, one will find that the U.S. strategy to 
respond quickly reflects its serious doubts about 
whether Taiwan can stick to its pledges or whether 
President Chen can remain consistent [with his policy]. 
 
"Judging from another perspective, during the process 
of rebuilding mutual trust between the United States 
and Taiwan, there is no rush to push the United States 
to reveal its stand.  The more one pushes the other to 
show its hand, the card that is shown will not be a 
good one, especially under the situation where the 
United States and other countries actually do not feel 
like being forced to do so and when there is not enough 
mutual trust between the two sides. 
 
"The United States expressed its opposition to any 
unilateral change by either side of the Taiwan Strait 
and draws lines regarding the `status quo.  But on the 
other hand, it is also encouraging both sides of the 
Taiwan Strait to resume dialogue and begin talks. 
Judging from this point of view, although the United 
States pays attention to every move Taiwan makes during 
the elections, whether both sides of the Strait can 
develop a different political climate based on their 
goodwill in the wake of the legislative elections is 
the issue of major concern for the United States." 
 
D) "Regarding the United States' Opposition to Taiwan's 
Name Changes, President Chen: Not Negotiable"  (P.2, 
mass circulation Apple Daily, 12/8/04) 
 
"President Chen Shui-bian Tuesday night said in his 
hometown Tainan with regard to the reaction from the 
United States, `in the past when we fought for 
democratic reform, such as to lift martial law, the ban 
on political parties and newspapers, and direct 
election of the president by the people, China said all 
of them were Taiwan independence moves. China, thus, 
threatened war.  We have, however, accomplished all of 
them, including the peace referendum, without a war 
initiated by China.  The name change thing is the same, 
no one should be afraid.' 'It is impossible that we 
don't do anything that China opposes. We should never 
compromise when we face oppression from China.' 
 
"President Chen pointed out that the news coverage of 
the United States not supporting Taiwan's plan for name 
changes is the same as with the referendum last year. 
The United States is expressing China's opinion. 
President Chen emphasized that we want to make known 
Taiwan's subjectivity, so we should use the name 
`Taiwan' while participating in international society." 
 
E) "Bian: Name Change, No compromise and No Concession" 
(P.1, pro-independence Taiwan Daily, 12/8/04; by Lin 
Chao-yi) 
 
"Regarding the United States decision not to support 
Taiwan regarding name changes, President Chen Tuesday 
said in Tainan the United States is expressing the 
attitude of China.  Chen cited the lift of the ban on 
political parties and newspapers, the direct election 
of the president, and the March 20 referendum as 
evidence that `every issue is opposed by China.' 
However, `Do we give in?' Chen said Taiwan will not 
compromise or concede on its plan to change names. Chen 
wants everyone to back him, "speak out loud to China," 
and give him a stable majority in congress. . 
 
"President Chen Tuesday night came to Tainan to support 
four Pan-Green candidates.  Chen offered the March 20 
referendum as an example and said at that time everyone 
had the chance to participate in the peace referendum. 
Chen hoped that everyone will have the chance to 
participate in a referendum on the constitution. Last 
year, however, when Chen pushed for the peace 
referendum, the United States also said it did not 
support [the referendum] and said it was a unilateral 
change of the status quo. Several people were `scared 
to death' and said `Chen is damned. How can the peace 
referendum proceed without the support from the United 
States?'  As to the United States' opposition to name 
changes, Chen considered it to reflect a request from 
the Beijing administration to the United States, and 
that the United States is expressing China's 
opposition. The situation is just like the United 
States' attitude before the peace referendum. `It is 
impossible that we don't dare to do things just because 
China opposes it or does not support it.' Chen said 
`The Far East Trade Center' in Australia, `The Sun Yat- 
sen Center' in Singapore, `The East Asia Relations 
Association' in Japan, and `The Coordination Council 
for North American Affairs' in the United States have 
all been changed to `The Taipei Economic and Cultural 
Representative Office'. Isn't the name change of the 
above agencies examples of what we fought for?  If we 
could fight for the Taipei Representative Office 
before, why can't we fight for the name to be changed 
to The Taiwan Representative Office?" 
 
PAAL