US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI3944

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 003944 
 
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, 
U.S. ARMS PROCUREMENTS 
 
 
1. Summary: Major Chinese-language Taipei dailies 
centered their coverage September 23 on President Chen 
Shui-bian's invitation to Chinese President Hu Jintao 
for a dialogue; the Taiwan Ministry of National 
Defense' report that China has built a model of 
Taiwan's military airport in Guangdong Province; and 
local issues.  The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" ran 
a banner headline on its front page that read: "Bian: 
Will Talk with Hu Without Any Conditions," while other 
Chinese-language newspapers ran similar reports in 
their inside pages.  In terms of U.S. arms 
procurements, both the pro-independence "Liberty Times" 
and "Taiwan Daily" carried news stories on President 
Chen Shui-bian's meeting with former U.S. Deputy 
Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former Deputy 
 
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Assistant Secretary of State Randy Schriver in Miami. 
The "Taiwan Daily" carried a news story on page three 
that was topped with the headline: "Armitage: Taiwan 
Needs to Do Something for Its Self-Defense." 
 
Several newspapers carried in their inside pages 
articles on U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert 
Zoellick's speech in New York September 21 regarding 
future Washington-Beijing relations.  The report in the 
pro-unification "United Daily News" was topped with the 
headline: "Zoellick: U.S.-China Relations Re-Defined," 
while that of the centrist "China Times" was headlined: 
"Zoellick Urges China to Move Toward Democracy."  The 
pro-independence "Liberty Times," however, reported the 
news story with the more comprehensive headline: 
"United States Urges China to Democratize and Not Just 
Think of Expanding [Its] Weaponry and Becoming a 
Hegemonic Power." 
 
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty 
Times" editorial questioned President Chen's proposal 
to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao without any 
pre-conditions.  The article called Chen's proposal an 
unsuccessful publicity strategy that might "sell out" 
Taiwan.  Washington correspondent Vincent Chang 
commented on Zoellick's speech in a news analysis in 
the conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News," 
saying it is of great significance for the United 
States to treat China as a "responsible stakeholder" 
rather than as a mere competitor.  A "China Times" 
editorial discussed Taiwan's U.S. arms procurement 
bill, urging Taiwan to think twice and not to block the 
bill any more.  End summary. 
 
1. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations 
 
A)  "What [Is Taiwan] to Talk about if It Holds a 
Meeting with China with No Pre-conditions?" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 
600,000] editorialized (9/23): 
 
". The purpose of President Chen choosing to release 
such a reconciliation signal [to China] during his 
transit in the United States is to tell the 
international community that Taiwan is a peace-seeker 
rather than a troublemaker, and thereby obliterate 
China's attempts to smear Taiwan, and clear up 
misunderstandings in the international community.  Even 
though Chen shows good intentions and motives in doing 
so, his proposal to meet with Hu is really unnecessary. 
It can not only fail to mitigate tensions across the 
Taiwan Strait, but will also create more trouble for 
Taiwan. .  Chen's proposal is in substance a strategy 
for international publicity.  Unfortunately, it is not 
a successful one. .. 
 
"In a nutshell, if Taiwan is to sit at a negotiation 
table [with China], there must be conditions set 
beforehand, and the meeting must be held in a third 
country, so that both sides can make sure they are 
standing on an equal footing.  That way Taiwan can 
demonstrate to the international community that it is 
an independent sovereign state.  Given the fact that 
China is deploying more than 700 missiles aimed at 
Taiwan and has already enacted the Anti-Secession Law, 
what can President Chen and [Chinese President] Hu 
Jintao talk about?  For Taiwan people, a dialogue [with 
China] `that is not confined to a specific time period 
or location and that has no pre-conditions' is like 
selling out the island.  It would be better that 
leaders of both sides of the Taiwan Strait not to meet 
this way." 
 
B) "From Either You Lose or I Lose to Both Being 
Bankers" 
 
Washington correspondent Vincent Chang said in a news 
analysis in the conservative, pro-unification "United 
Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (9/23): 
 
"The Bush administration, after having reviewed its 
China policy for some time, and given the fact that 
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has taken control 
 
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of Washington's foreign policy, has more or less 
settled its direction on `cautiously expanding 
interaction with Beijing.'  During a meeting at the 
National Committee on United States-China Relations 
September 21, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert 
Zoellick, via a speech that [claims to have] touched 
upon all aspects of Washington-Beijing relations, has 
concretely and clearly unveiled the United States 
objective understanding of `where should China go.' 
"It is noteworthy that in his speech, Zoellick more 
than once pointed out that Beijing should go beyond its 
current role of `just a member' to further become a 
`responsible stakeholder,' in an attempt to re-define 
the future Beijing-Washington ties. . The United States 
is willing to treat China as a stakeholder that shares, 
in a wider sense, equal responsibility in handing the 
`greater picture' of international affairs rather than 
a competitor in a narrow sense.  Such a stride [by the 
United States] is of great significance. . 
 
"The Bush administration shows clearly its hope to 
attempt to shape a whole new Washington-Beijing 
relationship, but other than talking about certain 
concepts, Zoellick did not mention any concrete 
implementation guidelines in his speech. . If such a 
policy remains on the level of being a concept [without 
real implementation], will it vanish eventually like 
the Clinton administration's hope to develop `a 
constructive strategic partnership' with Beijing? 
 
"In addition, how the Bush administration, which honors 
the U.S. national interests, will persuade a rising 
superpower to accept the United States' one-way logic 
of expecting a `responsible stakeholder' to undergo 
`political transformation' is the key to test this new 
policy, and it remains to be seen what will finally 
come out of it." 
 
2. U.S. Arms Procurements 
 
A) "Think Twice on the [U.S.] Arms Procurements to 
Prevent Losing in Every Aspect" 
 
The centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" 
[circulation: 400,000] editorialized (9/23): 
 
". The U.S. official's harsh criticism has, as 
expected, triggered various reactions from people of 
different positions. . This newspaper believes that no 
matter judged from the perspectives of law, Taiwan's 
national interests or the political interests of the 
opposition parties, the boycotts by opposition caucuses 
in the Legislative Yuan to block the arms procurement 
bill from being reviewed by the Procedure Committee is 
an unwise strategy that can hardly sustain. . 
 
"The argument over whether the arms procurement bill 
should be reviewed must be weighed from the angles of 
Taiwan's overall national interests and the real 
situation the island is in.  In terms of Taiwan's 
overall national interests, people naturally hope that 
at the current stage, the island can maintain the 
status quo of not being annexed by Beijing.  But the 
goal to maintain the status quo cannot be achieved 
effortlessly.  The real situation is that over the past 
few years, Beijing has not only risen rapidly in terms 
of its overall national strength, but the advancement 
of its defense capabilities has also been really 
amazing.  In the face of the threat formed under such 
circumstances, Taiwan also needs to appropriately 
upgrade its strength even just to maintain the status 
quo .  Another fact in the international community is 
that if we look around the globe, the United States is 
the only country that is able and dares to provide 
Taiwan with sufficient armaments so that it can [create 
a] counterbalance to Beijing.  Even though the arms 
procurement bill may be interpreted as Taiwan paying 
protection money to the United States or as a move to 
benefit American arms dealers, it cannot change the 
fact that if Taiwan really turns down the U.S. arms 
procurements, it will have to run the dual risk of an 
imbalance of power across the Taiwan Strait 
accelerating and the possibility that the United States 
might adjust or give up [its plan to] help defend 
Taiwan. ." 
 
KEEGAN