US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI1224

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 001224 
 
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, Foreign Policy 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: RICE'S BEIJING TRIP 
 
1. Summary: The Taipei dailies continued March 22 to 
report on U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's 
visit to Beijing by focusing on a press conference she 
attended there Monday in which she said the Anti- 
Secession Law is not a welcome development and Beijing 
should adopt measures to reduce cross-Strait tensions. 
All the major Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan 
carried Rice's remarks in their inside pages, while the 
centrist "China Times" and the pro-unification "United 
Daily News" also reported the articulation of gratitude 
by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council to the United 
States for its concern about cross-Strait peace.  The 
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily," in a page-two story, 
quoted a high-ranking Taiwan official as saying Rice's 
remarks urging China to take action to reduce cross- 
Strait tensions were "good enough" even though she did 
not mention that Taiwan's future "should be determined 
by the 23 million people in Taiwan." 
 
2. The "China Times" and the "United Daily News" 
published news analyses that said, judging from Rice's 
remarks, Washington and Beijing have come to a tacit 
agreement regarding the cross-Strait situation. 
Washington correspondent Vincent Chang commented in the 
"United Daily News" that even though Washington scolded 
Beijing over the Anti-Secession Law, the reality was 
that the United States has acknowledged the existence 
of the law, which, with Washington's tacit 
acknowledgement, has become part of the `status quo' 
for both sides of the Strait.  A limited-circulation, 
pro-independence English-language "Taipei Times" 
editorial, however, said Rice has botched her chance to 
achieve something in Beijing as she failed to persuade 
China to reduce cross-Strait tensions.  End summary. 
 
A) "Washington and Beijing Have Gradually Come to a 
Tacit Agreement to `Co-manage' the Cross-Strait 
Situation" 
 
Journalist Yu Hui-chien noted in the "Beijing 
Observation" column of the centrist, pro-status quo 
"China Times" [circulation: 600,000] (3/22): 
 
"U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, contrary to 
Taipei's expectations, merely said in Beijing that the 
Anti-Secession Law was not a welcome development.  Just 
as Beijing had expected, Rice did not make a fuss about 
the law.  Some people in Beijing who are well versed in 
affairs regarding Washington and Beijing hold an 
optimistic view and believe that in consideration of 
their own separate interests, the framework of U.S.- 
China co-management of the cross-Strait situation has 
already emerged. . 
 
"Both China and the United States have reached a tacit 
agreement about `co-managing' the cross-Strait 
situation.  But Washington is clearly aware that it 
will not be able to affect Taiwan as effectively as 
Beijing expects. ." 
 
B) "Amazing Coincidence! Washington and Beijing Have 
Reached a Tacit Agreement Regarding the Cross-Strait 
Situation?" 
 
Journalist Wang Li-chuan said in the conservative, pro- 
unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 600,000] 
(3/22): 
 
". With regard to the cross-Strait issue, [U.S. 
Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice's use of language 
 
SIPDIS 
towards both sides of the Taiwan Strait has been very 
cautious.  Regarding Taiwan, Rice did not use words 
like `not supporting Taiwan independence' or `opposing 
Taiwan independence,' which is friendlier than last 
year when U.S. President George W. Bush articulated his 
opposition to Taiwan independence.  On the other hand, 
however, Rice did not express opposition to the Anti- 
Secession Law as Taiwan had hoped.  Such a development 
seems to indicate that Washington does not believe the 
Anti-Secession Law will change the status quo. . 
 
"Rice has repeatedly stressed that she `hopes Beijing 
will adopt measures to demonstrate its goodwill and 
reduce [cross-Strait] tensions.'  This remark was 
coincident with Beijing's planned next step toward 
Taiwan.  Such an amazing coincidence makes it easy for 
people to suspect that Beijing and Washington may have 
reached some tacit agreement over the cross-Strait 
issue, so that Washington thinks that Beijing's [next] 
moves meet the United States' requirement that `neither 
side should unilaterally attempt to change the status 
quo in the Taiwan Strait. .' 
 
C) "Washington Scolds Beijing But Has Tacitly 
Acknowledged the Anti-Secession Law" 
 
Washington correspondent Vincent Chang observed in the 
conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News" 
[circulation: 600,000] (3/22): 
 
"With regard to the Anti-Secession Law, two conclusive 
results have been generated from U.S. Secretary of 
State Condoleezza Rice's recent trip to Beijing: 
namely, Beijing is the troublemaker, but Washington has 
acknowledged the existence of the Anti-Secession Law. . 
 
"In contrast, the Bush administration, as of now, has 
not articulated its opposition to the Anti-Secession 
Law, which Taipei believes has altered the status quo 
in the Taiwan Strait. . 
 
"But Rice has at least clearly pointed out that the law 
`has increased tensions and jeopardized the 
`possibility' of cross-Strait dialogue.  Instead of 
vaguely describing that the United States hopes `both 
sides' should not do anything unilaterally that would 
increase tensions across the Strait, Washington has 
finally identified that Beijing is the troublemaker for 
[creating] the Anti-Secession Law.  For Taipei, such a 
move is better than nothing.  But the Mainland Affairs 
Council's and Foreign Ministry's `sincere gratitude' to 
the small favors done by the United States showed they 
were too easily pleased.  This is because Taipei must 
recognize a cruel fact revealed in Rice's talks: the 
United States will not only stop opposing the Anti- 
Secession Law any more but has already acknowledged its 
existence! . 
 
"In other words, even Beijing was lightly reprimanded 
by Rice orally, the reality was that it made no harm to 
the fact that the Anti-Secession Law has become the 
`status quo' for both sides of the Taiwan Strait under 
the tacit acknowledgement of the United States. ." 
 
D) "Rice Botched Her Chance in Beijing" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (3/22): 
 
"China's "Anti-Secession" Law was one of the key issues 
for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's two-day 
visit to Beijing.  During a meeting with Rice on 
Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao demanded that the 
US not send a `wrong signal' to the `Taiwan separatist 
forces,' while Rice reiterated Washington's opposition 
to any unilateral action that may change the status quo 
in the Taiwan Strait. 
 
"Superficially, the two countries [i.e. the United 
States and China] appeared equally matched in the 
meeting, but in fact, China had the upper hand, as it 
had already passed a law legitimizing in its own mind 
its threat of war against Taiwan.  That law has shifted 
the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.  In requesting 
that Beijing make efforts to reduce cross-strait 
tension, Washington was merely trying to remedy a 
situation that existed.  There is no guarantee that 
Beijing will take up this proposal, so clearly Hu came 
off better in the talks. . 
 
"Rice had the means of persuading China to reduce cross- 
strait tensions at her disposal, but she failed to make 
use of the opportunity.  The means are the themes of 
`freedom' and `democracy' that figured to prominently 
in US President George W. Bush's second inauguration 
speech.  The disparity between Taiwan and China is not 
only a question of incomes and quality of life, but one 
of values, beliefs and systems of government.  This 
difference cannot be made to disappear through the use 
of guns, battleships or missiles. . 
 
"Since the passage of the `Anti-Secession' Law, 
antipathy and suspicion of China among the people of 
Taiwan has increased.  Taiwan's anxiety about China can 
only be reduced in the Beijing leadership is prepared 
to show respect for Taiwan's existence, introduce 
measures that guarantee its security and enhance the 
prosperity of Taiwan's society.  For example, they 
could stop blocking Taiwan efforts to join the World 
Health Organization as an observer and sign free-trade 
agreements with other countries.  This would pave the 
way toward cross-straits negotiations founded on 
equality. ." 
 
PAAL