US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI30

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000030 
 
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: OPRC, KMDR, KPAO, TW, Foreign Policy, Cross Strait Politics 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TSUNAMI RELIEF, U.S.-CHINA- 
TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
1. Tsunami Relief 
 
"Relief Efforts for South Asia's [Tsunami Disaster] 
Must Be Based on Human Rights and Also Serve Diplomatic 
Purposes in Order to Win the [International 
Community's] Respect" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" said in an 
editorial (1/5): 
 
". The United States' relief efforts [for the tsunami 
disaster in South Asia] are also a demonstration of its 
political strength.  Washington has not only increased 
its relief fund from USD35 million to 350 million - an 
amount that exceeds that donated by China - but has 
also sent battleships to the devastated areas in 
Indonesia, using its navy helicopters to help deliver 
food and other major supplies to the tsunami victims. 
Another U.S. fleet carrying 1,500 Marine Corps soldiers 
has also arrived in Sri Lanka for relief operations. 
U.S. influence, which was believed to have disappeared 
rapidly some time earlier, is now back [to the region] 
because of this natural disaster.  In the meantime, the 
United States is acting proactively in an attempt to 
use this opportunity to mend its deteriorating 
relations with the Muslim countries. ." 
 
2. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations 
 
"Stability Offers Hope for Better Cross-Strait Ties" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" 
editorialized (1/5): 
 
". Although the U.S. has upheld what it calls `our one- 
China policy' for over 30 years, Washington has never 
clearly defined what this `our one-China policy' 
actually is and has stressed its hope that no side will 
take actions to arbitrarily change the so-called 
`status quo.' 
 
"In effect, the U.S. has adopted a `legally ambiguous 
but strategically in the U.S. sphere of influence' 
stance regarding the position of Taiwan. 
 
"In the future, relations between Washington and 
Beijing will probably continue to develop on the basis 
of this principle, which apparently cannot be altered 
arbitrarily by any one person or political party. . 
 
"Owing to the improvement in U.S.-PRC ties, the 
situation in cross-strait relations should also tend to 
become more stable and predictable. 
 
"Washington is very anxious to encourage both Beijing 
and Taipei to resume dialogue in order to ease cross- 
strait tensions and open the possibility for more 
positive mutual interaction. 
 
"The statement made by President Chen Shui-bian in his 
October 10 National Day Address that such dialogue 
could resume on the foundations of the September 1992 
talks in Hong Kong between Taipei's semi-official 
Strait Exchange Foundation and Beijing's counterpart 
Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait 
offered a `new element' to the picture that can act as 
a lever to prepare the way for new talks. 
 
"Whether the two sides can succeed in arranging lunar 
new year holiday charter flights for Taiwan 
businesspersons in China may provide a crucial test to 
see whether cross-strait relations will worsen or 
improve in the new year." 
 
PAAL