US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3217

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003217 
 
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 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SIX-PARTY TALKS AND U.S.-CHINA 
RELATIONS 
 
 
1. Summary: The major Chinese-language Taipei dailies 
focused their coverage August 2 on cross-Strait issues 
and a Government Information Office's (GIO) decision to 
deny seven cable TV channels broadcasting license 
renewals, effectively suspending their operations 
beginning August 3.  The centrist "China Times" ran a 
banner headline on its front page that read: "Seven TV 
channels will go off the air starting tonight."  The 
newspaper also spent its first few pages covering the 
administration's clarification of the decision, the 
reactions of the seven TV channels and the call by 
legislators to pass legislation on the establishment of 
an independent media watchdog agency (i.e. a National 
Communication Commission).  The pro-unification "United 
Daily News" and the pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" 
both devoted all of their third pages to the issue, 
while the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's 
biggest daily, used half of its page five covering the 
news.  Almost all the major Chinese-language newspapers 
carried a half-page advertisement by the Eastern TV 
Company criticizing the GIO's decision to deny its ETTV- 
S news channel a renewal of its broadcasting license 
and apologizing to its audience. 
 
The Taipei dailies' reporting on cross-Strait issues 
centered on the following two aspects:  Premier Frank 
Hsieh's remarks that the outlying island of Penghu may 
be eligible to handle direct transportation to China; 
and the arrival Monday in Shanghai of the first 
shipment of duty-free Taiwan fruit to China.  The 
"United Daily News" printed on its front page a news 
story with the headline: "Direct transportation between 
Penghu to mainland [China] is set to be put into 
practice next month."  The other Chinese-language 
newspapers all carried similar cross-Strait news in 
their inside pages. 
 
2. Several Taipei newspapers editorialized on the GIO's 
decision not to renew the broadcasting licenses for 
seven local TV stations and Taiwan's need to have an 
independent media watchdog agency.  An op-ed piece in 
the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" discussed the 
strategic implications of North Korea's nuclear program 
on Taiwan.  The article said Taiwan will be put in a 
more difficult situation once Beijing agrees to 
continue working with the United States to jointly 
handle global, regional and bilateral issues.  An 
editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro- 
unification "China Post" discussed the first-ever U.S.- 
China strategic dialogue (currently being held in 
Beijing).  The editorial concluded that for Taiwan, it 
is better to be a non-flashpoint than to win diplomatic 
recognition.  End summary. 
 
A) "The Strategic Implications of North Korea's Nuclear 
Program on Taiwan" 
 
Yu Pen-li, assistant professor at the Graduate 
Institute of American Studies of Tamkang University, 
noted in an op-ed piece of the mass-circulation "Apple 
Daily" [circulation: 500,000] (8/2): 
 
". Washington's grave concern over the situation in 
Northeastern Asia has resulted in a series of 
diplomatic mediation, of which the climax was U.S. 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's whirlwind visit 
 
SIPDIS 
to Beijing in early July. . 
 
"In addition, under the lead of Deputy Secretary of 
State Robert Zoellick, Washington started its first- 
ever `U.S.-China Global Dialogue' with Chinese Vice 
Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo in Beijing August 1-2. 
The dialogue, plus Beijing's recent announcement to 
revaluate the Renminbi, showed that Beijing has started 
to pave the way for building a new strategic 
relationship with the United States. 
 
"Even though it appears on the surface that Beijing 
wants to strengthen cooperation with Washington, its 
ultimate strategic objective, however, seems to aim at 
weakening the United States' position in the Asia- 
Pacific region gradually by using a `friendly and 
cooperative approach.'  China even intends to 
marginalize the United States in an attempt to 
implement the `Chinese version of the Monroe Doctrine.' 
Beijing's call in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization 
on Washington to withdraw U.S. military from Central 
Asia as well as its attempt to hold an East Asian 
Summit in Malaysia in December to propose the 
establishment of an `East Asian community' are all 
examples [to manifest Beijing's ambition]. 
 
"In short, any progress made concerning North Korea's 
nuclear crisis is not totally irrelevant to Taiwan. 
Taiwan must not be too optimistic when it looks to the 
future if there is any breakthrough with regard to the 
Six-Party Talks.  [Should an agreement be made,] how is 
every country involved going to carry out the 
agreement?  Also, what about the establishment of a 
supervisory mechanism and framework?  [Evidently,] 
there will be plenty of opportunities for Beijing to 
lay its hand on and exert its influence, and it will 
help Beijing to implement its strategic layout as 
planned by the Chinese version of the Monroe Doctrine. 
In other words, once Beijing agrees to continue working 
with the United States to jointly handle global, 
regional and bilateral issues, Taiwan will be put in a 
more difficult situation.  Can Taiwan prevent the trend 
of allowing Washington and Beijing to jointly handle 
the Taiwan issue in the future?  This seems to be a 
more serious topic than the sell of Taiwan fruit to 
China." 
 
B) "U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language 
"China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (8/2): 
 
"The first U.S.-China strategic dialogue, a platform 
initiated by Beijing last year, was inaugurated in 
Beijing yesterday. .  The Beijing meeting is expected 
to cover Japan, North Korea, bilateral trade, energy 
and the anti-terror fight, after the more difficult 
Taiwan issue. 
 
"The Vientiane meeting [i.e. ASEAN Regional Forum held 
in Lao], while pledging to defuse regional conflicts 
through diplomacy, was widely criticized for excluding 
Taiwan, which is `the region's most worrying 
flashpoint.'  Asian security arrangements can't be 
complete without Taiwan. 
 
"But for the island, it is better to be a non- 
flashpoint than winning diplomatic recognition." 
 
PAAL