US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI1074

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001074 
 
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, Cross Strait Politics 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHINA'S "ANTI-SECESSION LAW" 
 
1. Summary: Major Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan 
continued to report on China's "anti-secession law" 
March 11 by focusing on President Chen Shui-bian's 
articulation of gratitude to Washington for its concern 
about the legislation and for Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice's comments on it.  The centrist "China 
Times" printed a banner headline on page two that said 
"Bian thanks the United States for [its] grave concern 
over the anti-secession law."  The sub-headline adds: 
"[President Chen] also thanks [President George W.] 
Bush for his opposition to the European Union's 
[proposal] to lift its arms embargo against China."  A 
second story on page two of the "China Times" is 
headlined "[Condoleezza] Rice: anti-secession law is 
not helpful with regard to the cross-Strait situation." 
The page two headline of the pro-independence "Taiwan 
Daily" also read: "Bian thanks Bush for his opposition 
to European Union's Arms Shipment to China."  Almost 
all the newspapers in Taiwan reported in their inside 
pages that the DPP will hold a mass rally in Taipei 
March 26 to protest China's `anti-secession law." 
 
2. The editorial of the pro-independence "Liberty 
Times" urged the Chen Shui-bian administration to put 
aside its joint statement with PFP Chairman James Soong 
and join in the mass rally scheduled for March 26 to 
protest China's "anti-secession law."  The limited- 
circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" called on Beijing to respect the views of the 
international community and withdraw the "anti- 
secession law" from further consideration.  A news 
analysis of the centrist "China Times" noted that 
Chen's articulation of gratitude to the Untied States 
has clearly demonstrated his administration's current 
strategy of "taking no action to curb [China's] action" 
in response to China's "anti-secession law."  A pro- 
unification "United Daily News" editorial urged 
President Chen to ponder on whether he needs to join 
the mass rally scheduled for March 26 to "counter- 
react" to China's "anti-secession law."  End summary. 
 
A) "The Joint Statement [Announced by] Chen Shui-bian 
and James Soong Should Be Put aside; Both the Ruling 
and Opposition Parties Should Join the [March 26] Rally 
Together to Protect Taiwan" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 
800,000] editorialized (3/11): 
 
". [I]t is easier to tell that the joint statement 
released by [President] Chen and [PFP Chairman] James 
Soong signifies a victory for Soong in embracing the 
one China principle, while it indicates a failure for 
Chen to defend Taiwan's sovereignty.  Neither Chen's 
Five Nos pledge nor the Chen-Soong joint statement has 
effectively defended Taiwan's sovereignty; instead, 
they have offered a handle for China to use to threaten 
Taiwan and to legitimately enact an `anti-secession 
law.'  To put it more bluntly, the joint statement 
between Chen and Soong will do more harm than the Five 
Nos pledge in killing Taiwan's chance of survival.  Now 
the DPP, spurred by the `anti-secession law' which has 
endorsed [China's] use of force against Taiwan, acts as 
if it has just woken up from a long sleep and said it 
wants to host a mass rally for peace and democracy and 
to protect Taiwan.  We support such an idea and call on 
President Chen and both the ruling and opposition 
parties to stand up and join hands in defending 
Taiwan's sovereignty.  Only by doing so can we really 
achieve the goal of `protecting Taiwan.'" 
 
B) "Parties Can Show Colors in March" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" 
[circulation: 20,000] editorialized (3/11): 
 
". The tone of the march and whether President Chen 
Shui-bian or other senior officials of the Taiwan 
government attend will depend on whether the PRC rams 
the law through the National People's Congress on March 
14 in the face of intensifying opposition from the 
international community. 
 
"Senior officials from the United States, European 
Union and Japan have already expressed serious concern 
and opposition to any unilateral change to the Taiwan 
Strait status quo and attempts to resolve the cross- 
Strait conundrum by `non-peaceful means,' with one 
senior U.S. diplomat directly calling the anti- 
secession bill to be `a wrong idea.' 
 
"We hope Beijing will decide to respect the views of 
the world community and withdraw the anti-secession law 
from further consideration and, preferably, file it in 
a convenient trash can, since its enactment will 
inevitably open a Pandora's box full of intended and 
unintended consequences, most of which will not be 
favorable to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait 
or to the welfare of the people on either side. 
 
"But we agree that the Taiwan people cannot sit in 
silence if Beijing ignores the well-intentioned advice 
of the world community.  Indeed, a 500,000-person 
protest march is a relatively mild manifestation of 
opposition to such an onerous action. ." 
 
C) "The Small Wresting against the Big; Chen Shui-bian 
Administration Adopts No Action to Curb [China's] 
Action" 
 
Journalist Lin Shu-ling noted in a news analysis in the 
centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 
600,000]: 
 
"Beijing originally planned to enact the `anti- 
secession law' in order to target Taiwan, but now the 
law has turned out to be a focus of intense wrestling 
between the United States and China.  President Chen 
Shui-bian finally responded [to China's `anti-secession 
law] after a few days of silence.  While expressing his 
gratitude to the United States, Chen has clearly 
demonstrated his administration's strategy for the 
current situation.  `To adopt no action in order to 
curb [China's] action' has, without doubt, become the 
most important model for Taiwan's national security 
agencies in handling regional issues. . 
 
"After all, even though Taiwan is a victim of the anti- 
secession law, those who really possesses the strength 
to turn the tables are big countries like the United 
States and Japan.  Before the situation is finally 
settled and in order not to complicate the issue, the 
Presidential Office declined to say whether President 
Chen will also take to the streets.  But the back and 
forth arguments against the anti-secession law recently 
were in fact a test for the tacit cooperation between 
Taipei, Washington and Tokyo with regard to their 
security alliance." 
 
D) "Reaction and Counter-reaction:  Rulers Must Not Get 
Caught in Vicious Cycles" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News" 
commented in an editorial [circulation: 600,000] 
(3/11): 
 
"Beijing's writing of the `anti-secession law,' no 
matter from which perspective it is judged, is a great 
pity for cross-Strait relations.  But it is also a fact 
that the immediate cause for Beijing's enactment of 
such a law is because `over the recent period of time, 
the Taiwan authorities have accelerated the pace in 
promoting Taiwan independence activities.'  As a 
result, [our] ruler should make a sensible . choice 
between reviewing his responsibility for `making a bad 
policy that brings insults to his country' and getting 
half a million people to join in a mass rally. 
 
"Our ruler used to repeatedly announce that he would 
rewrite Taiwan's constitution and abandon his Five Nos 
pledge, or he would frequently mobilize hundreds of 
thousands of people to take to the streets to challenge 
or protest Beijing's moves.  Those were exactly the 
reasons why Beijing wanted to enact the `anti-secession 
law.'  Now our ruler still wants to use the same 
tactics to mobilize local people and thereby to 
`counter-react' the `anti-secession law.'  Will the 
move add fuel to fire that he intends to put out or 
will he further mess up the situation because of 
mishandling?  These are the questions that our ruler 
has to ponder. ." 
 
PAAL