US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3711

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003711 
 
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: U.S. ARMS SALES TO TAIWAN, 
CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
 
1. Summary: Major Chinese-language Taipei dailies 
focused their coverage September 8 on local politics 
and a meeting between KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou and PFP 
Chairman James Soong Wednesday, in which both sides 
failed to reach a consensus on whether the Pan-Blue 
legislators should review the U.S. arms procurement 
bill.  All the Chinese-language newspapers carried the 
news story about the U.S. arms procurements in their 
inside pages with a similar headline: "Ma-Soong meeting 
fails to reach a consensus on whether the U.S. arms 
procurement bill will be reviewed by [Legislative 
Yuan's] Procedure Committee."  The centrist "China 
Times" also printed a news story on its page two, which 
was topped with the headline: "Taiwan's National 
Defense Ministry revealed when briefing Ma Ying-jeou on 
the arms procurements: [Chen Shui-] Bian has promised 
the United States that Taiwan will buy PAC-3 missiles 
first." 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily," on the other hand, 
ran a banner headline on its front page that read: 
"[Former President] Lee Teng-hui: the United States' 
Declaration of Independence is worth pondering for 
Taiwan."  The sub-headline added: "[Lee] attends the 
`Hand-in-Hand to Safeguard Taiwan Alliance' and says 
Taiwan already possesses the contents of a new country. 
[Lee says] Taiwan needs to write a new constitution and 
rectify its name; [Lee] announces there will be a 
parade calling for `strengthening [Taiwan's] national 
defense and safeguarding Taiwan' September 25."  A 
second news story on the front page of the "Taiwan 
Daily" was topped with the headline: "For the first 
time, the national flag of Taiwan will be fluttering in 
front of the Presidential Office today." 
 
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, the pro- 
independence "Liberty Times" ran an editorial that 
criticized PFP Chairman James Soong for blocking the 
U.S. arms procurement bill.  Washington correspondent 
James Wang said in the pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" 
that Taiwan must try its best to request that the 
United States respect its democracy, acknowledge 
Taiwan's independent sovereign status and restrain 
China's moves to annex Taiwan.  Former AIT Chairman and 
now a special advisor to the "Liberty Times" Group Nat 
Bellocchi noted in the limited-circulation, pro- 
independence, English-language "Taipei Times" that 
China's involvement in Taiwan's domestic affairs will 
become more and more intrusive.  End summary. 
 
1. U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan 
 
"How Can [U.S.] Arms Procurement [Bill] Be Kidnapped by 
Frustrated Politicians?" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 
600,000] editorialized (9/8): 
 
". When it comes to issues concerning national 
security, [people] must not be deceived by the 
different views or positions held by various political 
parties, nor should the arms procurement bill be stuck 
in the mire of confrontations between the Pan-Blue and 
Pan-Green Camps or their grudges over election results. 
How can the safety of the life and property of the 23 
million people on the island be kidnapped by merely few 
frustrated politicians?   The Pan-Blue Camp may have 
different views with regard to the items or price tags 
of the weaponry that Taiwan plant to purchase, but they 
should at least let legislators review the arms 
procurement bill and seek to coordinate different 
positions and views in the Congress in an attempt to 
make the arms procurement bill more comprehensive. 
This is the right way that the Pan-Blue Camp should 
adopt when supervising and checking and balancing the 
government and it will be a blessing for all people in 
Taiwan." 
 
2. Cross-Strait Relations 
 
A) "`Maintaining the Status Quo' Is an Anesthetic - 
Part I" 
 
Washington correspondent James Wang commented in the 
"Washington Review" column of the pro-independence 
"Taiwan Daily" [circulation 100,000] (9/8): 
 
". The U.S. government is opposed to `any unilateral 
attempt' by either Taiwan or China `to change the 
status quo.'  The United States' so-called `changing 
the status' is clearly demonstrated in the way that it 
is opposed to China's use of force to annex Taiwan and 
also to Taiwan's attempts to rectify its name and write 
a new constitution.  However, when it comes to China's 
enactment of the so-called `Anti-Secession Law' to 
block Taiwan's attempt to join the international 
organizations, Washington has either failed to stop it 
or has yet to come up with a final decision about what 
to do.  On the other hand, however, Washington, acting 
in the name of stability, has forcefully restrained 
Taiwan from using democratic and peaceful means to 
resist China's attempt to annex the island.  Washington 
is indulgent towards China's attempt to use non-violent 
means to annex Taiwan, but it restrained Taiwan from 
using democratic and peaceful means to counterstrike 
China's attempt.  Such a way of `maintaining the status 
quo' has evidently put Taiwan in an unfavorable 
position. 
 
".To break such a predicament, . Taiwan must try its 
best to request that the United States respect its 
democracy, acknowledge Taiwan's independent sovereign 
status and hold back China's moves to annex Taiwan. 
 
"The DPP government and those who do not want to see 
Taiwan being colonized again should realize that the 
U.S. government can restrain Taiwan government's 
behaviors, but it cannot restrain Taiwan people's 
efforts to `change the status quo.'  In contrast, if 
the public views in Taiwan calling for the United 
States to change the status quo grow strong enough, it 
will eventually affect Washington's policy which 
opposes `any unilateral attempt to change the status 
quo. .'" 
 
B) "China Bound to Increase Meddling" 
 
Former AIT Chairman and now a special advisor to the 
"Liberty Times" Group Nat Bellocchi noted in the pro- 
independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] (9/8): 
 
"In Washington, among those who are involved in the 
three-sided cross-strait relations, there is seldom - 
if ever - a consensus on what is best for US interests. 
Despite occasional reports by the executive branch to 
the US Congress and the public, even the appearance of 
consensus never exists for very long, due to the 
increasing complexity of cross-strait relations. 
 
"Starting with last year's presidential election in 
Taiwan, which reinforced the ruling party, and then the 
legislative elections which deflected it, many experts 
in the US when from being deeply concerned about where 
Taiwan was going (provoking China) to being concerned 
about where it wasn't going (strengthening its 
security). 
 
"In Washington that is the classic division of 
consensus - worry about China or worry about security. 
. 
 
"There seems now a perception among many that the 
results of the last legislative election, and more 
recently several statements by some analysts in Taiwan 
and abroad that independence is no longer a viable 
option and should be dropped, has caused mainstream of 
public opinion to shift in that direction. . 
 
"The ruling party has not been very effective in 
challenging these views, however.  In the struggle 
between the two political groups - pan-green and pan 
blue - during the events that lay ahead of the next 
presidential election, how much further along real 
consensus on the cross-strait issue will be remains 
uncertain.  It will almost surely mean that China's 
involvement in Taiwan's domestic affairs will become 
even more intrusive, however, something both the US and 
Taiwan must ponder. ." 
 
KEEGAN