US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3855

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 003855 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC 
BARBORIAK 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, KPAO, TW 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
 
Summary: Major Chinese-language Taipei dailies focused 
their coverage September 16 on local issues such as a 
carcinogenic substance being found in Taiwan fish for 
sale, and the continuing boycott by opposition parties 
of legislative affairs in the Legislative Yuan.  The 
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily," however, ran a banner 
headline on its front page that read: "[Chinese 
President] Hu Jintao slashes at Taiwan by making 
disguised offers to help poor countries at the U.N. 
summit."  The sub-headline added: "[China] offers the 
world's poorest countries tariff-free trade, debt 
relief, and cheap loans, but excludes the dozen of 
countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan."  The 
newspaper also carried a news story on its second page 
that was topped with the headline: "Bush urges Hu again 
to engage in a dialogue with Taiwan." 
 
In terms of the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, several 
Chinese-language Taiwan newspapers reported in their 
inside pages remarks made by U.S. Department of State 
East Asian Bureau Senior Advisor James Keith Thursday 
before the U.S.-China Economic and Safety Review 
Commission.  Keith said although the U.S. arms 
procurement bill has been blocked by Taiwan's 
opposition parties, Taiwan's ruling party should also 
take some of the blame for not having increased the 
national defense budget much over the past six years. 
 
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, the pro- 
independence "Liberty Times" ran a commentary 
criticizing the proposal made by Chinese President Hu 
Jintao during his meeting with U.S. President George W. 
Bush Tuesday that Washington join China in maintaining 
peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.  The 
newspaper called the proposal "absurd" and said "it is 
like a bandit who calls shamelessly upon the police to 
join him in maintaining social order."  Journalist Sun 
Yang-ming, however, said Hu's proposal can be seen as 
an attempt by Beijing to have the United States join it 
in setting up a "framework" to constrain Taiwan.  An 
editorial in the limited-circulation, pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times" discussed current 
Washington-Taipei ties by saying both the United States 
and Taiwan must "make a much more committed effort to 
set up lines of communication."  End summary. 
 
A) "Having Bandits Maintain Social Order?" 
 
The "Free Talk" column of the pro-independence "Liberty 
Times" [circulation: 600,000] wrote (9/16): 
 
"During his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, 
Chinese President Hu Jintao urged the United States to 
join China in safeguarding peace and stability across 
the Taiwan Strait.  This proposal is so absurd that 
people do not know whether to laugh or cry. . 
 
". [If] the Chinese authorities genuinely believe that 
Taiwan is part of its territory, it should then belong 
to China's domestic affairs about how to maintain peace 
and stability across the Taiwan Strait.  How can it 
allow foreign forces to interfere?  Thus, judged from 
Hu's proposal of having China and the United States 
jointly manage the Taiwan Strait, China obviously has 
tacitly agreed that Taiwan is an independent sovereign 
state over which China has no authority.  That's why 
China hopes to get, via the United States, a share of 
the loot between superpowers. 
 
"What's so absurd is that the United States is a 
democratic county, and so is Taiwan.  The United States 
therefore will not possibly respond to such a public 
trading of power proposed by China and sell out the 23 
million people on Taiwan.  Even though Washington and 
Taipei have no diplomatic ties, the Taiwan Relations 
Act clearly stipulates the United States' commitments 
to the Taiwan people.  China evidently has met 
rejection. . 
 
"Most absurd of all is that China upholds the `One 
China' [principle] and will not promise to renounce the 
use of force against Taiwan.  As the biggest ringleader 
to sabotage stability across the Taiwan Strait, China 
has also deployed more than 700 missiles aimed at 
Taiwan.  Now the biggest threat to cross-Strait 
security is urging the United States to work with it 
and jointly maintain peace and stability across the 
Strait.  [The offer] is like a bandit who calls 
shamelessly upon the police to join him in maintaining 
social order.  This is indeed very absurd." 
 
B) "A New Probe Concerning China-U.S. `Joint Management 
of the Taiwan Strait'" 
 
Journalist Sun Yang-ming said in the "United Notes" 
column of the conservative, pro-unification "United 
Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (9/16): 
 
". Unlike what happened in their previous meetings, 
[Chinese President] Hu Jintao stated clearly in the 
summit [with U.S. President George W. Bush Tuesday] 
that he hopes that Washington would join Beijing's side 
to maintain stability across the Taiwan Strait.  Hu's 
statement basically can be seen as an attempt by 
Beijing to have the United States join it in setting up 
a "framework" to constrain Taiwan. 
"It is noteworthy that such a concept of `joint 
management' of the Taiwan Strait or Taiwan is not aimed 
at compelling Taiwan to promote peaceful unification 
[with China] but at treating [the policy of] 
`maintaining of the status quo' as a fundamental 
concept for now.  In fact, this is already a basic 
consensus and a bottom line for Washington and Beijing 
with regard to the policy toward Taiwan. . 
 
"As a matter of fact, the proposal of having Washington 
and Beijing `jointly manage the Taiwan Strait,' or the 
idea or approach to set up a task force to jointly 
manage the Taiwan issue, was formed as early as in the 
second half of 2004.  It's just that such an idea or 
approach continued to remain on the `Track Two' level, 
without really being carried out via the official 
channel.  Now that Hu has formally proposed it to Bush 
personally, it remains to be seen how the United States 
will respond. ." 
 
C) "Clearing the Line to Washington" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (9/16): 
 
". The brief visit to Taiwan by Dana White, the country 
director for Taiwan in the US Office of the Secretary 
of Defense, is therefore a welcome tonic.  White came 
to finalize high-level security talks between Taipei 
and Washington that were originally canceled because of 
the scheduled visit to the US by Chinese President Hu 
Jintao.  But the initial cancellation - a painful and 
demeaning slap in the face for Taiwan - points to an 
unsettling change stateside: a growing tension between 
pro-China and pro-Taiwan forces in the Bush 
administration, with the former prevailing. 
 
"The mantra of protecting the `cross-strait status quo' 
has been chanted by officials in all countries 
involved, but until such time that those US officials 
mired in an Orientalist devotion to a utopian Chinese 
state recognize that the `status quo' can be maintained 
neither passively nor indefinitely, the eroding of both 
Taiwanese and US interests in the region will continue 
and most likely accelerate. 
 
"In the meantime, President Chen Shui-bian's 
administration can only be grateful to the US 
Department of Defense for intervening to ensure that 
this year's Monterey talks will take place.  It is 
crucial, however, that defenders of democracy on both 
sides of the Pacific take this incident as a sign of 
things to come, and make a much more committed effort 
to set up lines of communication. . 
 
". [W]hat has been genuinely surprising is the 
amateurish and slovenly attempts by the Chen 
administration to communicate with Washington, and, 
just as importantly, members of Congress.  It is not 
clear who should be held responsible: Chen, perhaps, or 
the increasingly discredited Boy Scouts - his youthful 
team of so-called advisers. 
 
"Regardless, the truth of the matter is that if there 
is going to be change, Taiwan cannot afford to be 
anything less than an instigator of it rather than its 
dumb object.  As the Bush administration struggles with 
Iraq and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a more 
proactive and focused campaign for practical support 
among members of Congress and other US officials will 
vindicate supporters in the US and at home at a time of 
considerable distraction for the American public. 
There is no clearer road to take." 
 
KEEGAN