US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI2908

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 002908 
 
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: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
Summary: The major Taipei dailies continued to focus on 
local politics, public hazards and a financial fraud 
scandal July 2-5.  Some newspapers, however, discussed 
in their editorials Taiwan's legal status, U.S.-Taiwan 
relations, and President Chen Shui-bian's first ever 
"National Security Report" (to be released in late 
July).  The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" editorial 
echoed a suggestion by former Taiwan President Lee Teng- 
hui, who said Taiwan should discuss Taiwan's legal 
status with the United States.  A limited-circulation, 
conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China 
Post" editorial elaborated on AIT Director Douglas 
Paal's remarks at the July 4th celebration in Taipei 
last Friday, saying that while Taiwan is not a 
protectorate of the United States, Taiwan leaders take 
relations with Washington very seriously as the United 
States is Taiwan's best friend.  A limited-circulation, 
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" 
editorial discussed the "rise of China," the United 
States' reaction to it and how Taiwan should deal with 
it in terms of U.S.-Taiwan relations.  End summary. 
 
A) "The [Taiwan] Government Should Discuss with the 
United States Taiwan's Legal Status; Clarifying 
Taiwan's Sovereignty [Issue] Is the Common Wish of All 
Taiwan People" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation 
150,000] editorialized (7/5): 
 
". In particular, following Taiwan's democratization, 
the Taiwan people have elected their president for the 
third time.  [The Taiwan people] have their own 
government and congress; all these facts have made 
Taiwan a practically independent nation. It is thus a 
top priority for both the ruling and opposition parties 
in Taiwan to work on such a new political fact and to 
thoroughly resolve the international political topic 
[concerning Taiwan's status], which was left unresolved 
since the [end of] the Second World War and to let 
Taiwan's sovereignty return to the hands of the Taiwan 
people and the government they elect. 
 
"Former President Lee Teng-hui believes that Taiwan 
should discuss Taiwan's legal status with the U.S. 
government.  Lee's proposal is of course the right 
remedial step to correct Taiwan's unresolved status. . 
We believe that the government should follow Lee's 
suggestion and discuss Taiwan's legal status with the 
U.S. government in an attempt to return Taiwan's 
sovereignty to the hands of the Taiwan people, as what 
the status quo is, and to get Taiwan out of the myth 
and illusion of `one China,' to become a normal country 
and return to the international community. ." 
 
B) "Friends Deserve Respect for Commitment to Shared 
Values" 
 
The conservative, pro-status quo, English-language 
"China Post" [circulation: 30,000] noted in an 
editorial (7/4): 
 
". At a recent event in Taipei held to mark the 
occasion, Douglas Paal, the de facto U.S. ambassador to 
our country, told his audience that Taiwan will always 
have a friend in the United States as long as we 
continue on the path of freedom and democracy. 
 
"In his remarks, Paal noted that democratic values 
shared by both Taiwan and the United States from the 
basis of a lasting friendship that grows every day. . 
 
"While Taiwan is not a protectorate of the United 
States and certainly does not take orders from 
Washington, leaders here take relations with the United 
States very seriously and work hard to coordinate 
efforts with friends in Washington, as the United 
States is truly Taiwan's best friend. . 
 
"While we should never expect or rely upon the United 
States to dig us out of every mess we get into, we 
should treat the United States with the respect that a 
good friend deserves at a time when we are truly in 
need of a good friend." 
 
C) "Security Policy Needs Vision" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" 
[circulation: 20,000] commented in an editorial (7/4): 
 
". Looking more broadly, the touted `rise of China' 
encompasses a complicated and possibly explosive 
mixture of economic dynamism, an intensified military 
build-up, a rising potential for social instability, a 
possible lose of control by the political center and 
even a degree of opportunity for a political opening 
for democratization. 
 
"Nevertheless, the mainstream thinking in the 
international community - led by the United States - 
remains preoccupied with a policy of `con-gagement,' a 
combination of containment and engagement, to develop 
their relationships with the PRC. 
 
"Taiwan must honestly recognize the existence of this 
international reality and prioritize its national 
security policies and work to achieve a balance of 
power that supports Taiwan's democracy and cross-strait 
peace. ." 
 
KEEGAN