US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI860

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000860 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SEOUL PLEASE PASS TO AMBASSADOR MORIARTY; STATE PLEASE PASS 
TO AIT/W 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, KIPR, KDEM, TW, Cross Strait Politics, IPR 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN REQUESTS U.S. ASSISTANCE ON WHO, OTHER 
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
 
REF: A. MESERVE-PAAL E-MAIL OF 2/23 
 
     B. PALMER-MOORE E-MAIL OF 2/23 
 
Classified By:  AIT Director Douglas H. Paal, Reason: 1.4 (B/D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary.  MOFA International Organizations 
Director-General John Chen expressed appreciation to the 
Director February 24 for U.S. assistance on Taiwan 
participation in WHO International Health Regulations (IHR). 
Chen, however, requested further U.S. help to modify the 
terms of the PRC-WHO agreement, in response to which the 
Director was not encouraging.  Chen and the Director also 
discussed Taiwan participation in APEC, and Chen handed the 
Director a list of international organizations that Vice 
Foreign Minister Michael Kau intends to raise during his 
early March visit to Washington.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) John Chen (CHEN Chung), who assumed his new 
position as Director-General of the MOFA International 
Organization (IO) Department in early January, met with the 
Director on February 24 to discuss Taiwan participation in 
WHO, APEC and other international organizations.  Chen, who 
will accompany Political Vice Minister Michael Kau (Ying-mao) 
to Washington in early March, also gave the Director a White 
Paper containing the issues and organizations that VFM Kau 
intends to raise in Washington (paper faxed to EAP/TC). 
 
WHO 
---- 
 
3.  (C) Dir-Gen Chen expressed appreciation to the Director 
for U.S. assistance in extending applicability of the 
International Health Regulations (IHR) to include Taiwan. 
The Director responded that there appeared to have been some 
progress in Geneva the day before, February 23, when WTO 
members adopted the principle of universal applicability for 
the IHRs.  In turn, he said, the U.S. was grateful that 
Taiwan and its diplomatic allies had not again raised the 
proposal to amend Article 65 to extend coverage of the IHRs 
to any "territory exercising competence over its external 
health relations,8 because the PRC had indicated that it 
would withdraw its concessions if there were further mention 
of Article 65.  We hoped there would be direct discussions 
between WHO and "Taipei CDC" on a proposed exchange of 
letters, discussions to which the PRC had agreed on the 
condition that there was no publicity.  The Director 
explained that the PRC had concurred that WHO teams could go 
to Taiwan in the event of another public health emergency of 
international concern (PHEIC), subject only to WHO 
notification of the Chinese mission in Geneva.  If the 
WTO-Taiwan letters were exchanged and the IHRs were formally 
adopted at the WHA, the effect would be to make Taiwan a de 
facto party to the IHRs.  This would be a major contribution 
to the public health of people in Taiwan and all areas having 
transportation links with Taiwan.  The U.S., the Director 
concluded, looked forward to continuing to cooperate on 
implementing the entire package.  (AIT will also deliver the 
above message in Ref A to Taiwan CDC.) 
 
4.  (C) Chen reiterated Taiwan,s appreciation for US 
assistance on the IHRs.  Taiwan, he went on, hoped the 
WHO-PRC side agreement would not contain language detrimental 
to Taiwan, pointing to wording such as "territories and 
provinces of China" and the term &Taiwan China,8 the latter 
of which, he said, was unacceptable to Taiwan.  He also 
protested the requirement to notify the PRC Mission in Geneva 
before sending a WHO team to Taiwan.  The Director responded 
that he understood this was part of an all or nothing package 
but promised to report Chen,s comments to Washington. 
 
APEC 
---- 
 
5.  (SBU) As the new IO Director-General, Chen also serves as 
Taiwan,s senior APEC official.  Chen said that he would be 
attending the SOM in Seoul next week and confirmed that he 
had a meeting arranged there with U.S. APEC Senior Official 
Lauren Moriarty. 
 
6.  (SBU) The Director conveyed the points on APEC contained 
in Ref B on USG priorities for APEC in the coming year. 
Chen responded, in general terms, to a number of points as 
follows: 
-- Trade:  Chen responded that although he was not yet fully 
briefed on the details of the APEC agenda, Taiwan supported 
the USG position on advancing the Doha Development Agenda, 
adding that Taiwan had a number of issues on agricultural 
trade, but was prepared to deal with them in promoting the 
DDA.  (Comment. Chen was apparently referring to Taiwan,s 
membership in the G-10, which has been opposing agricultural 
trade reform in the Doha round.  In the past, Taiwan economic 
and foreign affairs officials have blamed the Council of 
Agriculture for Taiwan,s obstructionist position on 
liberalizing agricultural trade.  It is not yet clear if 
Taiwan is prepared to shift its position in this area, but we 
welcome Chen,s indication that at least parts of Taiwan,s 
bureaucracy recognize the disconnect between Taiwan,s 
overall support for trade liberalization while pushing to 
block liberalization of trade in agricultural goods.  End 
comment.) 
 
-- Digital Issues:  Chen expressed appreciation for USG 
recognition of Taiwan,s contributions in the digital area. 
After some consultation with his colleagues, he said that 
Peru, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and 
Vietnam all supported Taiwan,s proposals on digital issues. 
 
-- Security:  Again, Chen did not have a detailed response, 
other than to say that Taiwan supported USG efforts to 
provide better security for both radioactive sources and 
shipping containers. 
 
-- Transparency and IPR:  Chen noted that working on 
transparency, anti-corruption and enhanced intellectual 
property rights was in Taiwan,s own interest.  The Director 
interjected that Taiwan still needed to enhance its 
protection for intellectual property. 
 
-- Disaster Relief:  Chen initiated the conversation on 
disaster relief, suggesting that APEC member economies needed 
to act like a community in responding to disasters.  He 
proposed that APEC consider identifying an internal focal 
point, perhaps the Deputy Secretary General, to deal with 
disaster issues and that each member should also identify a 
focal point for disaster issues.  The Director noted the U.S. 
view that APEC had little to contribute in providing 
immediate assistance, but could add value in disaster 
preparedness and long-term commercial recovery efforts.  Chen 
responded that Taiwan had useful experience to share based on 
its efforts to provide immediate assistance after the 
September 21, 1999, earthquake in central Taiwan and 
long-term economic recovery of the area. 
 
Community of Democracies 
--------------------------------- 
 
7.  (C) Although the Community of Democracies (CD) was under 
the purview of MOFA,s NGO Department, Chen explained, he 
wanted to emphasize Taiwan,s hope that it would be invited 
to the April CD Ministerial Meeting in Santiago.  Taiwan 
participation, he argued, could serve as an impetus for 
democracy in non-democratic China, much as Taiwan,s earlier 
application to join the WTO had challenged China and 
compelled it to rush to catch up with Taiwan. 
 
8.  (C) The Director responded that he was not sure whether 
Chile had begun to formally issue invitations to the 
Ministerial, but that the U.S. had regularly and consistently 
supported Taiwan,s participation in the CD.  In any event, 
he continued, Taiwan should adopt a larger strategic 
perspective.  After months of rising cross-Strait tensions, 
in significant part because of provocative rhetoric from 
Taiwan, there had been a number of positive moves in recent 
weeks.  China certainly saw its WHO agreement as a step 
forward in cross-Strait relations.  In the process of 
improving cross-Strait relations, there would always be some 
things that Taiwan liked and some things that it did not 
like.   The Anti-Secession Law was an example of the latter. 
Progress would continue to be mixed, and a broader strategic 
perspective would go a long way in continuing the recent 
positive trend. 
 
Taiwan IO White Paper 
----------------------- 
 
9.  (C) Chen handed the Director a two-page paper (faxed to 
EAP/TC) requesting U.S. support for Taiwan participation in 
the following organizations: 
 
(1) World Health Organization (WHO):  Obtain observer status 
(see paras 3-4 above). 
 
(2) World Customs Organization (WCO):  For the "Separate 
Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" to be 
invited to meetings of the Harmonized System Committee and 
Enforcement Committee as an observer, and further steps to 
resolve issue of Taiwan participation in WCO. 
(3) Group of Earth Observation (GEO):  Obtain permission to 
attend meetings and, in the long term, obtain observer status. 
 
(4) Kimberley Process (KP):  Participate as separate entity 
with WTO-like nomenclature; &Taiwan, Province of China8 and 
&Taiwan, China8 absolutely unacceptable to Taiwan. 
 
(5) Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units (Egmont 
Group):  Prevent PRC blocking Taiwan membership. 
 
(6) Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APC):  Continue 
with &Chinese Taipei8 name, and prevent PRC changing to 
"Taipei, China." 
 
(7) International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL): 
Participate in Interpol's Global Communication System. 
 
(8) Community of Democracies:  (See paras 7-8 above). 
 
Biographical Note 
------------------ 
 
10.  (U) John Chen (CHEN Chung) worked very closely with AIT 
as Secretary-General of the Coordination Council for North 
American Affairs, the Taipei headquarters for Taipei Economic 
and Cultural Representative Offices (TECRO) in the U.S., 
March 2004-January 2005.  Earlier he served as Director of 
TECO in Miami (2002-2004) and Deputy Director of TECO in New 
York, 1997-2002.  He served for six years in Taiwan missions 
in Singapore and Brunei Darussalam (1986-1992), after which 
he served for two years as a Section Chief in the 
International Organizations Department of MOFA.  Chen was 
born on May 20, 1953, in a small village on the west coast of 
Taiwan.   He received his B.A. in English literature at 
Tamkang University.  After joining the foreign service in 
1982, Chen studied at Warnborough College, Oxford, England in 
1982-83.  Chen regularly plays golf and tennis, using these 
recreational activities to cultivate a wide range of contacts 
both inside and outside of the Taiwan government. 
 
11.  (C) Chen was an energetic and effective advocate for 
solving U.S.-Taiwan issues in his previous position as 
Director-General of TECRO, and we believe he will bring his 
formidable energy to his new position, where he should be a 
positive force for cultivating Taiwan's participation in 
APEC.  With his earlier service as an IO Section Chief, he 
arrives in IO well-versed in the lore of APEC and other 
international organizations. 
PAAL