VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0600/01 0600140
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010140Z MAR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8720
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4737
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 5932

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000600 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC 
BARBORIAK 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: PRESIDENT CHEN'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF 
CESSATION OF THE NATIONAL UNIFICATION COUNCIL AND GUIDELINES 
 
 
¶1. Summary: On the February 28 Incident Memorial Day, 
Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave prominent 
reporting and editorial coverage to President Chen's 
announcement Monday that the National Unification Council 
(NUC) will "cease to function" and the National Unification 
Guidelines (NUG) will "cease to apply."  Almost all papers, 
with the exception of the pro-independence "Liberty Times," 
Taiwan's biggest daily, reported Chen's announcement on 
their front pages.  These newspapers also devoted their 
first few pages to various news stories about the reactions 
of Washington, Beijing and the pan-Blue camp to Chen's 
decision.  The pro-status quo "China Times" ran a current 
opinion survey on its page four which reported that 51 
percent of the people polled said they do not support Chen's 
decision to cease the functioning of the NUC while 20 
percent said they supported such a move.  Also, 47 percent 
of the respondents said they are worried about the 
deterioration of cross-Strait relations, and 46 percent said 
they are concerned about the damage done to Taiwan's 
relations with the United States.  The same poll result also 
indicated that President Chen's approval rating has dropped 
to a new low of 24 percent.  A poll on the front page of 
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" also showed that 56 percent 
of the people polled said they don't think Chen's decision 
will reduce tensions between Washington, Beijing, and 
Taipei.  The newspaper also ran a news story on its page two 
with the headline: "The Presidential Office's Interpretation 
Is That the United States Does Not Strongly Oppose [Chen's 
Plan to] Scrap the NUC and NUG." 
 
¶2. The Chinese-language dailies editorialized either on 
Chen's announcement or the February 28 Incident.  The "Free 
Talk" column in the "Liberty Times" and an editorial in the 
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" both hailed Chen's decision, 
calling it a move that highlights Taiwan's sovereignty.  An 
"Apple Daily" editorial noted that Washington said it 
understood Chen's move because it realized that the KMT and 
Ma Ying-jeou's pro-unification stance could present real 
lurking dangers for the United States.  An editorial in the 
pro-unification "United Daily News," however, called Chen's 
move an insult to himself and to Taiwan, as Chen has 
"publicly put on the Incantation Hoop [meaning that he is 
being restricted] offered to him by the United States." 
Journalist Lin Shu-ling said in a news analysis in the 
"China Times" that Chen succeeded in going ahead with his 
plan to scrap the NUC and NUG because he has seen through 
Washington's pattern in handling the cross-Strait issues. 
An editorial in the limited-circulated, conservative, pro- 
unification English-language "China Post" directly pointed 
out that given Chen's announcement, the credibility of the 
United States' is now at stake and its one-China policy is 
undermined.  End summary. 
 
A) "Making An Incantation [to Block out the Ghost of 
Unification]" 
 
The "Free Talk" column in the pro-independence "Liberty 
Times" [circulation: 600,000] said (2/28): 
 
"A-bian used the word `cease' [zhong-zhi] to replace 
`abolish' [fei-chu] and marked an ending for the big show of 
scrapping the NUC and NUG, which started playing during the 
Lunar New Year holidays.  This ending may not please all the 
local supporters of Taiwan's nativism, but they can at least 
accept it. .  There is still a long way to go for Taiwan to 
become a normal nation even though it has crossed the 
threshold of scrapping the NUC and NUG.  Besides, every 
hurdle starting from the [holding of the] defensive 
referendum [in 2004] to scrapping [fei] the NUC and NUG has 
been very difficult.  [Taiwan] is facing more and more tests 
and obstacles, and it will be easily torn apart by China if 
Taiwan people fail to unite together." 
 
B) "President A-bian's Announcement of the Cessation of the 
NUC Has Secured the Principle of `People Possessing the 
Right to Their Country's Sovereignty' and Raising Taiwan 
People's Voices" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 100,000] 
editorialized (2/28): 
 
". President Chen's announcement [of the cessation of the 
NUC and NUG] was mainly based on the democratic principle 
that people have the right to the sovereignty of their 
country; it was also a move made [to protest] China's non- 
peaceful attempt to alter the status quo across the Taiwan 
Strait, as evidenced by its continuous military threats 
 
[against the island] and the `Anti-Secession Law.'  Chen's 
announcement is thus not a move for Taiwan to provoke China 
but a [show of] respect for Taiwan's public views.  Nor is 
it an attempt to alter the cross-Strait status quo but a 
necessary announcement to remind the international community 
that China is the one that is really attempting to change 
the status quo.  We thus gave high marks to Chen's decision 
at this historical moment, which showed that he, despite 
China's threats, insists on maintaining Taiwan's status quo 
of freedom, democracy and human rights and safeguarding the 
23 million Taiwan people's freedom of choice.  Taiwan's 
history will remember this day and this page, the moment in 
which Taiwan people's sovereignty is genuinely highlighted. 
." 
 
C) "A-Bian Wins His Victory in Grave Dangers" 
 
The mass-circulated "Apple Daily" [circulation: 500,000] 
editorialized (2/28): 
 
". Chen announced [Monday] that to safeguard Taiwan's 
democracy and maintain the [cross-Strait] status quo, the 
NUC will cease to function. ...  This statement showed that 
the United States has understood Taiwan's decision to cease 
the functioning of the NUC, and it is also a belated strike 
against China's [enactment of] the `Anti-Secession Law'. . 
 
". In reality, the worst consequence [during the process of 
Chen's move to scrap the NUC and NUG] was Washington's harsh 
reaction; Washington has used various means to show Taiwan 
that [Chen's move] would severely jeopardize Taiwan's 
interests and put the island in an unfavorable position. 
But perhaps [during this process,] the United States 
gradually became aware that showing appropriate support for 
the DPP may be a way to stabilize Taiwan's pro-U.S. 
attitude, and that the KMT and Ma Ying-jeou's pro- 
unification stance could pose real lurking dangers for the 
United States.  Perhaps it was based on such an insight that 
the United States said it understood [Taiwan's reasons for] 
the move. ." 
 
D) "Humiliation for Chen and for Taiwan: Chen Shui-bian 
Publicly Puts on the Incantation Hoop Offered to Him by the 
United States" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 
400,000] commented in an editorial (2/28): 
 
"Chen Shui-bian's movement to push for `[Taiwan's] new 
constitution and to scrap the NUC and NUG' suffered a sever 
defeat; He publicly put on the "incantation hoop" handed to 
him by the United States yesterday and in the meantime gave 
up Taiwan's national dignity. . 
 
"Chen's move to `scrap the NUC and NUG' [fei tong] this time 
was aimed at demonstrating his ability to `change the status 
quo.'  But judged by the Presidential Office's statements 
yesterday, Chen is evidently tightly controlled by the 
Incantation Hoop that `will not allow him to change the 
status quo.'  Chen repeatedly emphasized [Monday] that 
Taiwan has no intention to alter the status quo.  Strictly 
speaking, even though Chen did not reiterate the `Five No's' 
pledge, his declaration that `Taiwan will amend its 
constitution by adhering to [the constitutional] procedures' 
was akin to keeping his `Four No's' pledge.  Chen did not 
necessarily have the upper hand with regard to his `last No' 
[in the `Five No's' pledge] by announcing the cessation of 
the NUC and NUG.  [We] can say that the `Five No's' pledge 
is in substance `the status quo that cannot be altered.' . 
What is really bizarre is that even though Chen's 
announcement [Monday] indicated another severe defeat for 
him, he may be the only one who benefits from such a 
development. .  Chen may have won a victory by successfully 
snatching back his position as the flagman of the Taiwan 
independence, but he has also made his country and society 
pay a severe price!" 
 
E) "Maneuvering Through Another Door, Bian Has `the Next 
Step' [in Mind]" 
 
Journalist Lin Shu-ling said in a news analysis in the pro- 
status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] (2/28): 
 
". Bian has been in power for over five years and has had a 
huge national security team.  His decision not to care about 
[the attitudes of] Washington and Beijing [with regard to 
his move to scrap the NUC and NUG] was based on his own 
 
logic and not necessarily a result of `impulsiveness.'  The 
only difference is that the logic of the Chen administration 
in dealing with Washington-Beijing-Taipei relations differs 
from the thought process of the pan-Blue camp and some 
scholars.  That is, even though Chen knows that Taiwan needs 
the United States' protection, he is also clearly aware that 
the United States also needs Taiwan to restrain China. 
[Chen is aware that] it is not that Taiwan has no room to 
play its cards. 
 
"When [Washington and Taipei] were busy negotiating over 
[Taiwan's plan to hold] a referendum in 2003, it was also a 
period in which Washington-Beijing relations were severely 
strained.  [At that time,] the United States was anxious to 
deal with the problems of Iraq and North Korea and did not 
want Chen to affect U.S. cooperation with China.  As a 
result, Washington publicly rebuked Taipei in front of 
Beijing during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the 
United States.  This exchange of blows made the Chen 
administration see through Washington's pattern of handling 
cross-Strait issues: namely, to `prevent things from getting 
bigger' `to mediate between both sides in an attempt to 
quell the whole argument.' 
 
"People inside the Chen administration believe that no 
matter whether it was the referendum or [Chen's plan to] 
scrap the NUC and NUG, Washington stepped in [the cross- 
Strait disputes] in order to show its position to Beijing 
and to maintain its pivotal position between the two sides 
of the Taiwan Strait.  As long as Taiwan is willing to back 
up a little, plus accept some superficial `penalties', so 
that Washington can show them to Beijing, it will not be so 
difficult . for Taiwan to get through and go ahead with its 
plan. ." 
 
F) "De-unification Is Chen's Legacy" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China 
Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (2/28): 
 
". Yesterday afternoon, Chen convened a National Security 
Council meeting and achieved a unanimous resolution that 
from now on the NUC should `cease to function' and its 
guidelines `cease to apply.'  The word `abolish' was avoided 
to placate the U.S.  Thus in both cases, Taiwan's `reckless' 
leader has had his way.  Having achieved little during the 
past six years in office and with only two more to go, Chen 
now hopes to secure a legacy as the spiritual leader of the 
Taiwan independence movement.  Freezing or abolishing the 
NUC does not change the status quo or advance the movement a 
bit, but `de-unification' has become Chen's shining 
achievement. . 
 
"Washington is trapped.  To punish Taipei, it may be seen as 
helping the undemocratic China to bully a democratic ally. 
But if it does not react, the much-needed `stakeholder' 
Beijing will see it as a tacit move to divide China.  U.S. 
credibility is at stake.  Its one-China policy, the bedrock 
of regional peace and stability, is undermined.  But is 
Taiwan independence protected under the U.S. Taiwan 
Relations Act?" 
 
KEEGAN