US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3796

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 003796 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ASEC, SCUL, TW, Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, Cross Strait Politics 
SUBJECT: PRC-VATICAN RELATIONS: TAIWAN ON THE SIDELINES 
 
REF: STATE 145435 
 
Classified By: AIT Acting Director David Keegan, Reason 1.4 (b/d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: Taiwan has been relegated to an observer as 
the Vatican and the PRC gradually improve ties and slowly 
work towards diplomatic relations.  Taipei's relationship 
with the Holy See has the full attention of Taiwan government 
officials, and President Chen Shui-bian has directed the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the National Security 
Council (NSC) to use every means possible to preserve 
Taipei's ties with the Holy See.  Taiwan has increased 
contributions to Vatican sponsored charities, is collecting 
evidence of PRC abuses against the Church, and is actively 
lobbying Vatican officials throughout Europe to maintain 
ties.  Taipei is also highlighting Taiwan's record and 
support for human rights, religious freedom, and democracy. 
Despite Taipei's efforts, senior officials from the 
Presidential Office, the NSC, and MOFA privately admit that 
there is little they can do and are pessimistic that Taiwan 
can sustain ties with the Vatican beyond the short term. 
Senior officials are also concerned that the loss of the 
Vatican could negatively impact Taipei's ties with its 
Central American partners.  End summary. 
 
Attention at the Highest Levels 
------------------------------- 
 
2. (C) Taiwan-Holy See relations are receiving the full 
attention of the Taiwan government and is a top priority for 
the Chen administration.  President Chen's Deputy 
Secretary-General, James Huang, told AIT that Chen is 
 
SIPDIS 
personally following the Vatican-PRC situation closely and 
has ordered MOFA and the NSC to do everything possible to 
convince the Vatican not to recognize Beijing.  Huang said 
that President Chen believes the loss of the Vatican, 
Taiwan's sole diplomatic partner in Europe, would damage 
Taiwan's international image and constitute a substantial 
victory for Beijing.  Huang stressed that the stakes are very 
high for Taiwan because Vatican ties offer international 
validation for Taipei's record on human rights and democracy. 
 MOFA's Director of European Affairs, Larry Wang, told AIT 
that Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) is also watching the Holy 
See situation closely and like President Chen, the LY views 
Taiwan-Vatican ties as a top priority.  Wang noted that the 
LY recently ordered Taipei's Ambassador to the Holy See to 
return to Taiwan to report directly to the LY on the status 
of Taipei's relationship with the Vatican. 
 
Taiwan's Vatican Strategy 
------------------------- 
 
3. (C) Taiwan's strategy for maintaining ties with the 
Vatican consists of increasing financial support to the Holy 
See and emphasizing Taipei's moral and human rights values. 
The Presidential Office's Huang told AIT that Taiwan has 
significantly increased its budget to support Vatican 
sponsored charity organizations in an effort to highlight to 
the Vatican the importance of the Taiwan relationship (Note: 
Huang would not reveal the amount of money being funneled to 
the Vatican.  End note).  The NSC's Senior Advisor Connie 
Yang added that MOFA issued a directive to its missions 
abroad to collect intelligence and find evidence of specific 
examples of human rights abuses committed by Beijing against 
the Catholic Church for passage to the Holy See.  MOFA's Wang 
told AIT that Taipei has also increased its contacts with the 
Vatican and has made it a priority to attend virtually all 
Church sponsored events throughout Europe and elsewhere. 
However, Wang admitted that Taiwan's efforts are largely in 
response to the PRC's own efforts to increase its own 
participation in Church activities. 
 
4. (C) According to the Presidential Office's Huang, Taipei 
is also trying to convincing the Holy See that it would be 
immoral for the Vatican to derecognize Taiwan, which is known 
for its democracy, human rights, and religious freedom, in 
favor of an authoritarian Communist regime that represses 
religious freedom.  As part of these efforts, MOFA has 
undertaken a "charm" offensive against Vatican officials and 
clergy members in Europe to highlight Taiwan's human rights 
record and press the Holy See not to recognize the PRC. 
Huang added that Taiwan also insists that Beijing's demand 
for the Vatican to sever ties with Taiwan should not be a 
precondition for diplomatic ties with the PRC.  Huang told 
AIT Taipei has been working with Taiwan's Cardinal Paul Shan 
who, Huang and MOFA's Wang claim, supports Taiwan and is 
working on Taipei's behalf at the Holy See. 
 
But Little Taiwan Can Do 
------------------------ 
 
5. (C) Despite Taipei's efforts to sustain Vatican-Taiwan 
ties, senior officials in the Presidential Office and MOFA 
privately admit to AIT that there is little they can do but 
watch as the Vatican and the PRC gradually move closer toward 
official diplomatic ties.  The Presidential Office's Huang 
told AIT that he and other officials are not optimistic about 
Taipei's ties with the Vatican in the long run.  Huang 
explained that he is in contact with a senior journalist in 
Beijing who claims that the PRC and the Vatican are making 
quick progress.  Huang added that Taipei's position is 
particularly precarious because Taiwan is not a factor in the 
Holy See's decision-making process because it is no secret 
that the Vatican intends to recognize Beijing as soon as the 
conditions are right.  Vatican Charge d' Affairs in Taipei, 
Monsignor Ambrose Madtha, told AIT that the Holy See has 
always wanted and needs diplomatic ties with Beijing for the 
sake of the Church's estimated 10-15 million Catholics in the 
PRC and that it is only a matter of time.  MOFA's Larry Wang 
agreed with Huang and noted that there is little Taiwan can 
do at this point but hope Beijing does something to derail 
negotiations with the Vatican. 
 
Switch Could Be Politically Damaging for Taiwan 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
6. (C) Senior Taiwan foreign policy officials are also 
concerned that the loss of the Vatican could negatively 
impact Taiwan's ties with its other diplomatic partners, 
particularly in Central America where the Catholic Church is 
influential.  MOFA's Wang asserted that once the PRC and the 
Holy See establish ties, Beijing will penetrate the Catholic 
Church in Central America and gain another avenue in which to 
pressure Taiwan's Central American partners to recognize 
Beijing.  The Presidential Office's Huang remarked that 
President Chen is very concerned about the status of Taiwan's 
relationship with its partners in Central America if the 
Vatican were to recognize Beijing.  Huang explained that such 
a loss, while symbolic, could tip the scale in the PRC's 
favor if some governments were wavering in their ties to 
Taiwan. 
 
7. (C) Huang also maintained that the loss of the Holy See 
could have a domestic impact in Taiwan, but opined that it 
would likely be short lived.  Huang explained that the Taiwan 
public is accustomed to "these types of changes" and noted 
that prospects for losing ties with the Vatican has 
frequently been reported in the press and would not be a 
surprise.  The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) 
International Affairs Deputy Director Hsieh Huai-hui also 
speculated that the loss of the Vatican would not severely 
affect Taiwan's domestic situation, but she noted that this 
would depend how the event is played in the media and the 
timing.  She argued that if the switch occurred before an 
election, it could be very damaging for the Chen 
administration. 
 
Comment: Few Options Left 
------------------------- 
 
8. (C) Taiwan's foreign policy officials are resigned to the 
fact that there is little Taiwan can do but watch and hope 
that it takes years for the Holy See and the PRC to renew 
ties.  Taiwan is actively doing what it can do derail the 
thaw in PRC and Vatican relations, but it is clear Taiwan has 
few options left.  Considering that there are 10-15 million 
unrepresented Catholics in the PRC compared to 300,000 
represented Catholics in Taiwan, the Vatican seems determined 
to seek better ties with Beijing for the sake of the much 
larger number of Catholics in the PRC.  The only question for 
Taiwan is not if the Vatican will recognize the PRC, but 
when.  In the meantime, Taiwan has been relegated to a 
spectator while its diplomatic fate is determined by the PRC 
and the Holy See. 
KEEGAN