US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI821

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000821 
 
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, Domestic Politics, Cross Strait Politics 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHEN-SOONG MEETING AND CROSS- 
STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
 
1. Summary:  The Taipei dailies gave considerable 
reporting February 25 of the meeting between President 
Chen Shui-bian and People First Party Chairman James 
Soong, which took place Thursday.  The meeting was 
treated as a local political issue, though the 10-point 
joint statement issued by Chen and Soong after their 
talks largely concerned Taiwan's national status and 
future cross-Strait relations.  Interestingly, the 
largest circulation Liberty Times, which supports 
Chen's own party, was the only daily to carry the story 
on the inside pages instead of on the front page.  The 
pro-unification and centrist dailies said Chen's 
statement regarding Taiwan's national status indicated 
that he is moving toward the middle-of-the-road 
direction, while all the pro-independence newspapers 
criticized that Chen has deviated from Taiwan's growing 
consciousness of its sovereignty and has upset all the 
pan-green and pro-independence supporters. 
 
2.  The pro-independence "Liberty Times" questioned in 
its editorial why it bothers for China to write an 
`anti-secession' law when Chen has himself deprived 
Taiwan of its sovereignty.  An editorial of the pro- 
independence "Taiwan Daily," however, said Chen's 
statement that he will not declare Taiwan independence 
during his term of office is actually an announcement 
to the United States and Japan telling them that Taiwan 
has done its best to maintain the status quo in the 
Taiwan Strait.  A commentary in the pro-unification 
"United Daily News" called Washington, Beijing, Chen 
and Soong four human press pawns on the cross-Strait 
chessboard whereas the only factor that can affect 
their movements is their own interests.  A commentary 
in the centrist "China Times" said the concessions Chen 
made to Soong during their talks indicated that Chen 
would also make concessions to the Beijing government, 
which might push the cross-Strait relations to a new 
stage in the next three years.  End summary. 
 
A) "It Turns out Unexpectedly that President Chen Is to 
Carry out Policies Advocated by a Defeated Presidential 
Candidate" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" commented in its 
editorial (2/25): 
 
". In general, given the 10-point statement signed 
between President Chen and James Soong, there is no 
need for China to write the `anti-secession law' 
because the 10-point statement is in reality similar to 
a Taiwan version of the `anti-secession law.'  Since 
Chen has already deprived Taiwan of its sovereignty 
himself, why would it bother for China to do it again 
[by enacting the `anti-secession law']?  The United 
States and Japan have taken some actions lately to 
repeatedly warn China not to play with the fire of the 
`anti-secession law.'  But our state leader is now 
putting on the tights made of the `one China 
constitution' himself simply because his administration 
has failed to win a legislative majority and he wants 
to create a [friendly] atmosphere so as to get his 
bills passed.  If China exercises any restraint with 
regard to its `anti-secession' law, the most important 
reason is perhaps because of the 10-point statement 
other than the pressure from the United States and 
Japan. ." 
 
B) "Why President A-Bian Has to Shoulder all the 
Criticism While James Soong Appears to be Complacent?" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" editorialized 
(2/25): 
 
". If [we] review President Chen's remarks at the Chen- 
Soong meeting from another perspective, [we] may say 
that Chen was actually well intended but little 
understood.  At the time when both Washington and Tokyo 
have included the Taiwan Strait as one of the two 
countries' `common strategic objectives,' the DPP 
government felt the need to convey to the United States 
and Japan Taiwan's efforts in seeking to stabilize the 
status quo in the Taiwan Strait.  President Chen thus 
announced at the Chen-Soong talks that during his term 
of office, he would not declare Taiwan independence. 
Chen is in fact making an announcement to the 
governments of the United States and Japan that Taiwan 
has done its best to maintain the status quo and that 
should a war break out in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, 
the one who extends an olive branch, is not the one to 
be blamed. ." 
 
C) "Interests of the Four Human Chess Pawns Shape Their 
[Future] Movements" 
 
Journalist Hsiao Heng-chien observed in the 
conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News" 
(2/25): 
 
"The meeting between President Chen Shui-bian and 
People First Party Chairman James Soong finally took 
place and a 10-point consensus was reached, which 
focused mostly on the cross-Strait relations.  On the 
chessboard of cross-Strait relations, Beijing, 
Washington, President Chen, and James Soong are in 
reality four human chess pawns, and the only factor 
that can affect their movements is their own 
`interests.' 
"On the cross-Strait chessboard, judged by the current 
international and domestic situations, the stability 
across the Taiwan Strait is the greatest common 
denominator for the interests of Washington and 
Beijing.  The breakthrough in the cross-Strait 
relations, on the other hand, is the greatest common 
denominator for the interests of President Chen and 
James Soong. 
 
"For Washington, North Korea is the priority problem it 
needs to resolve now, and Beijing has to deal with 
international issues and its domestic development now. 
The Taiwan issue is not on the agenda of either of the 
two countries that needs to be urgently addressed now. 
However, it will be greatly conducive for Washington 
and Beijing if both sides of the Taiwan Strait could 
maintain a certain form of stability.  That is why both 
Washington and Beijing, in the wake of last year end's 
Legislative Yuan election, have sought to take 
advantage of the opportunity when both Chen and Soong 
hope to gain their own interests, to push for such a 
meeting ." 
 
D) "Unique Power Positions Work to Push for the Chen- 
Soong Meeting" 
 
Journalist Chen Chia-hung noted in the "My Views" 
column of the centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" 
(2/25): 
 
". More importantly, Chen Shui-bian's `concessions' 
made toward James Soong also indicated that [Chen's] 
administration would make `concessions' to the Beijing 
government.  Beijing, which has previously judged and 
set its views about Chen but is also eager to develop 
cross-Strait relations, has found [at the Chen-Soong 
meeting] a perfect chance for it to extricate itself 
from such an awkward position.  In consideration of the 
fact that Chen has modified the keynote of his cross- 
Strait policy, Beijing might act on the needs of Chen 
and Soong and push the cross-Strait relations to a new 
stage in the next three years. ." 
 
PAAL