US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI4614

UNCLAS TAIPEI 004614 
 
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, Cross Strait Politics, Foreign Policy 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: BUSH'S KYOTO SPEECH 
 
1. Summary: As major Chinese-language Taiwan dailies on 
November 18 continued to report on local scandals, campaigns 
for the upcoming 3-in-1 elections, and a planned merger 
between two local banks to form Taiwan's largest bank, 
coverage also focused on the APEC meetings in Pusan and U.S. 
President George W. Bush's speech delivered in Kyoto 
Wednesday.  The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's 
biggest daily, carried a news story on page two that quoted 
Taiwan's representative to the APEC summit Lin Hsin-yi as 
saying Bush's praise of Taiwan's democracy was merely 
confirmation of a known fact.  The newspaper also ran a 
banner headline on the same page that read: "Bush and 
[Japanese Prime Minister] Koizumi Will Have Bilateral 
Summits with Lin Hsin-yi." 
 
2. The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" ran a front-page 
headline story quoting some American scholars as saying 
Bush's speech indicated that he is sending a new message to 
China and Washington will have to review its one China 
policy some time in the future.  The newspaper also quoted 
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry officials as saying Bush's praise 
and support for Taiwan would be conducive to Lin's 
performance at the APEC meetings.  Only one editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language 
"Taipei Times" commented on Bush's speech.  The article 
welcomed Bush's speech and urged Washington not to treat the 
"Taiwan issue" as a subset of the "China issue."  End 
summary. 
 
"US Needs to Delink Taiwan and China" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] commented in an editorial (11/18): 
 
"US President George W. Bush has at long last demonstrated 
that he is aware of Taiwan's value as a democracy.  Given 
recent US attitudes and commentary directed at this country, 
Bush is to be congratulated for his sudden enlightenment. 
The question that now remains is this: Since the White House 
appears ready to accept that Taiwan is no longer an 
authoritarian state controlled by a murderous dictator, how 
will it translate this knowledge into a meaningful strategy 
for Taiwan? . 
 
"Eventually the US must realize that the `Taiwan issue' can 
not be treated as a subset of the `China issue.'  Many 
people in the US have become accustomed to treating 
Washington's policy toward Taiwan as a small and irksome 
outgrowth of Sino-American relations.  This approach may 
have had currency in 1951, but it makes little sense now. 
From the US' perspective, preserving Taiwan's de facto 
independence is not the end game - nor is maintaining 
trouble-free relations with China. . 
 
"US policymakers seem to be unable to decide how to deal 
with China, and as a result, thy lack a grand vision for US 
policy in the region.  Merely playing `diplomacy' - which by 
current US standards means not doing anything that someone 
might find distasteful, ever - is not going to help the US 
achieve its aims in the region.  The ultimate US goal in 
East Asia must be the preservation of the current strategic 
situation, with the US as the undisputed guarantor of 
regional stability and security.  Every policy that 
Washington employs should be working toward this end. 
Unfortunately, the shortsightedness of successive US 
administrations has undermined this strategy, especially 
when it comes to Taiwan. . 
 
"Washington is going to have to make a decision about 
whether or not it wants to retain the mantle of leadership 
in the Asia-Pacific [region].  The choice should not be too 
difficult, given that the alternative - letting Japan and 
China slug it out for control of the West Pacific - could 
well lead to World War III.  Taiwan has been compared to 
Spain in 1936 - a troubled, fledgling democratic state at 
threat internally and externally.  The democracies of the 
world stood aside as Spain fell victim to authoritarianism, 
backed by Nazi Germany.  Are they going to wait until it is 
too late for Taiwan, as well?" 
 
PAAL