US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI4550

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 004550 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TW 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN CONTINUES EFFORTS TO PROMOTE 
TAIWAN-JAPAN-US COOPERATION 
 
REF: STATE 199897 
 
Classified By: AIT Director Douglas Paal, Reason 1.4 (b/d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's government 
is continuing efforts to enhance Taiwan-Japan-US cooperation 
and views the rise in Tokyo-Beijing tensions as an 
opportunity to strengthen ties with Japan and the US in order 
to counter the PRC.  AIT attended a recent Taiwan government 
sponsored conference designed to encourage discussions among 
Taiwan, Japan, and the US on closer security and economic 
cooperation in response to the PRC's growing influence in 
Asia.  Taiwan participants argued that Taipei should play a 
more active role in the US-Japan security framework and 
asserted that Taiwan needs additional security guarantees 
from Tokyo and Washington to help reverse the domestic 
political division and uncertainty plaguing Taiwan over 
cross-Strait policies.  End summary. 
 
Conference Highlights Continuing Push for Better Ties 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
2. (C) A recent Taiwan government sponsored conference 
entitled "The Taiwan-US-Japan Trilateral Strategic Dialogue" 
was another example of the continuing push by the Chen 
administration to strengthen Taiwan's relationship with Japan 
and the US.  The conference was organized by the pro-green 
Taiwan Thinktank and attended by high-level Taiwan government 
officials as well as former US and Japanese officials.  The 
event was a top priority for the Chen administration and 
meetings were closed to the press.  Presidential Office 
Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun delivered the opening remarks 
 
SIPDIS 
and stressed that the Chen administration is committed to 
serving as a reliable partner with Japan and the US to ensure 
security and stability in the Taiwan Strait.  He called for 
further integration of military, political, and economic 
cooperation among the three governments to help Taipei combat 
new challenges -- a clear reference to the PRC -- in the 
Asia-Pacific region. 
 
3. (C) Taipei also hopes that recent tensions between Japan 
and the PRC will translate into closer ties with Tokyo.  In 
his meeting with conference participants, President Chen 
called for closer security cooperation with Japan and urged 
Tokyo to consider signing an FTA with Taiwan, in part to 
reduce Taiwan's dependency on the PRC.  Taiwan Thinktank's 
Lai I-chung, who organized the conference, privately told AIT 
that the Tokyo-Beijing chill has given Taiwan a "golden" 
opportunity and added that improving ties with Japan is a top 
priority for the Chen government.  Lai added that Taipei 
hoped to cooperate more closely with Washington and Tokyo and 
argued that the US-Japan security alliance should be expanded 
to include Taiwan.  He also stated that Taipei must be more 
proactive in providing for its own security by passing the 
Defense Procurement Special Budget. 
 
Taiwan Wants Security Guarantees 
-------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) Vice-Foreign Minister Michael Kau remarked at the 
conference that Taiwan wants to be a "junior partner" in the 
US-Japan security framework for East Asia.  Kau stated that 
close military cooperation with the US and Japan is very 
important for Taiwan in the context of Beijing's growing 
clout.  He explained that Taiwan's public perception is that 
Washington is not as committed to defending Taiwan as it used 
to be.  As a result, the PRC's successful "United Front" 
strategy of pressuring Taiwan diplomatically and 
economically, has encouraged some in Taiwan to support 
compromise with Beijing as the most practical policy.  Kau 
noted Taiwan politicians and the people have become divided 
over Taiwan's cross-Strait policy and cited the KMT and PFP 
leader's trips to the PRC this past spring as an example.  He 
argued if Japan and the US are more committed to Taiwan and 
can offer Taipei additional security guarantees, this will 
reduce the political gridlock plaguing Taiwan's Legislative 
Yuan. 
 
5. (C) AIT Deputy Director separately briefed Taiwan NSC 
Deputy Secretary-General Ke Cheng-heng on the US-Japan 
two-plus-two meetings and the "US-Japan Alliance: 
Transformation and Realignment for the Future" issued at the 
meeting, drawing on reftel para 12.  Ke said that Taiwan very 
much welcomes the steps described in the report because they 
enhance US capabilities to assist Taiwan if required.  He 
added quickly and emphatically that Taiwan had decided not to 
comment on the meeting or the report because they had 
concluded such a comment would not be helpful.  To the best 
of our knowledge, we have not seen comments in the media on 
this subject by any Taiwan government official. 
 
Improving Trade Ties for "Economic Balance" 
------------------------------------------- 
6. (C) Taiwan Thinktank's Lai suggested that Taiwan must also 
promote closer economic ties with the US and Japan for 
"economic balance" in the Asia-Pacific region.  Lai said that 
Taiwan is being suffocated economically by Beijing and that 
Taipei needs to reassert itself via new trade mechanisms -- 
such as FTAs -- because Taiwan's role in APEC has been 
limited and marginalized by Beijing.  He also argued that 
Taipei must do more to engage Southeast Asia and India in 
order to regain the economic balance that has been lost to 
the PRC.  Noting that Tokyo and Washington are increasing 
their engagement with India and Southeast Asia, Lai asserted 
that Taipei must work more closely with the US and Japan in 
these efforts. 
 
Comment: But Can Taiwan Remain Discreet? 
---------------------------------------- 
 
7. (C) The Chen government has been pressing for years to 
strengthen its relationship at all levels with Japan and to 
increase cooperation among Taiwan, Japan, and the US. 
Taiwan's foreign policy efforts typically have more success 
when Taipei is willing to work quietly and stay below the 
radar of Beijing.  While most of Taiwan's Japan policy 
officials understand that trying to develop overt ties with 
Tokyo would work against Taiwan, this nuanced understanding 
is not shared by all senior Chen administration officials. 
The challenge for the Chen administration is whether it can 
continue using subtle means outside of the media's glare to 
advance Taipei's ties with Japan. 
 
8. (C) Taiwan also has continued to seek US assistance in 
arranging trilateral US-Japan-Taiwan events and cooperation. 
AIT is resistant to such an approach and while it may be in 
Taiwan's interests to cultivate closer ties with Tokyo, we 
will continue to explain to Taiwan officials that it is not 
appropriate for Washington to serve as a broker and that 
Taipei must develop its relationship with Japan on its own. 
Paal