VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0035/01 0080955
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080955Z JAN 10
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3087
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9612
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0996

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000035 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - THOMAS HAMM 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. BEEF IMPORTS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage January 8 on the proposed referendum on the import of U.S. 
beef products, which passed the initial review by the Referendum 
Review Committee of the Executive Yuan Thursday and will be able to 
enter the second stage of the referendum process; on U.S. arms sales 
to Taiwan; and on Saturday's legislative by-elections.  The 
pro-independence "Liberty Times" carried a news story on page two 
with a headline reading "Consumers' Foundation: Taiwan [Holding a] 
Referendum to Fully Convince the United States [of the Island's 
Public Opinion]."  The pro-unification "United Daily News," on the 
other hand, ran a banner headline on page six, reading "Taiwan and 
the United States Reach a Deadlock as to Whether [Both Sides] Will 
Renegotiate [a Deal] on U.S. Beef." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column in the 
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" said now that the amendments to the 
Act Governing Food Sanitation have passed, it is time to call a halt 
to the referendum on U.S. beef.  An editorial in the KMT-leaning 
"China Times" also chimed in by saying that there is no need nor 
urgency now to hold a referendum on U.S. beef.  A "United Daily 
News" column called on President Ma Ying-jeou to acquire the skills 
for effective communication in the wake of the storm over U.S. beef 
imports.  An editorial in the pro-independence, English-language 
"Taipei Times" called the legislature's move to ban imports of 
certain U.S. beef products the biggest setback for Ma.  End summary. 
 
 
A) "Time to Halt the Anti-U.S. Beef Referendum" 
 
Jaw Shao-kong, a radio program host, wrote in his column in the 
mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (1/8): 
 
"The Legislative Yuan (LY) passed the third reading of the 
amendments to the 'Act Governing Food Sanitation,' rejecting the 
Taiwan-U.S. beef protocol, banning the import of ground beef, beef 
offal, skulls, brains, eyes and spinal cord, and only allowing the 
import of bone-in beef.  The LY also passed a strict supplementary 
resolution: 'Imports of beef and related beef products from cattle 
more than 30 months old must be banned; the government should impose 
strict inspections to ensure that only beef and related beef 
products from cattle less than 30 months of age are allowed to be 
imported.'  The regulations [in the revised Act Governing Food 
Sanitation] are very clearly now and thus should be able to dispel 
the people's doubts and fears about contracting mad cow disease. 
The referendum initiated by the Consumers' Foundation opposing [the 
import of] U.S. beef should come to a halt. ... 
 
"... 'Referenda' are a double-edged sword; since the results sought 
by the anti-U.S. beef referendum [advocates] have been achieved, the 
sword should be put away now, because referenda have a high 
threshold and are thus not easy to pass, and the society will put a 
lot of manpower and money into holding a referendum. ... Just in 
case the [anti-U.S. beef] referendum should fail to pass, it will be 
a major setback -- and an unnecessary one -- for the Consumers' 
Foundation and for the anti-U.S. beef [campaign].  The Consumers' 
Foundation thus should prudently ponder [its next move]. ..." 
 
B) "[Political] Credits that Ma Ying-jeou Needs to Earn" 
 
Journalist Lee Ming-shien wrote in the "United Notes" column in the 
pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (1/8): 
 
"Judging from the softening tone in Washington's latest statement, 
it is obvious that the Ma administration's conciliation with the 
United States has proven effective.  The amendment to the law 
concerning U.S. beef has brought about a storm in [Taiwan's] 
internal affairs and foreign relations.  Having concluded his 
foreign-related parleys, Ma should turn around to clean up the 
domestic battlefield now. ... 
 
"Frankly speaking, effective communication has always been the 
Achilles heel of the Ma administration, and the amendment to the law 
concerning U.S. beef has helped to expose it all the more....  In 
the wake of the amendment, the storm over U.S. beef is yet to 
subside.  The proposed referendum, now entering the second stage of 
the signature-collecting process, will remain the focus for the next 
round of political attack and defense.  It will have repercussions 
on future political developments, the upcoming legislative 
by-elections, and the [year-end] five major city and county 
[magistrate] elections, and will continue to be a source for 
ferment...." 
 
C) "The Referendum on U.S. Beef Is Not Necessary Nor Pressing" 
 
The KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 120,000] editorialized 
(1/8): 
 
"... The content of the referendum proposed by the Consumers' 
Foundation on U.S. beef is: "Requesting that a Department of Health 
policy to open [Taiwan's market to] U.S. bone-in beef, ground beef, 
beef offal and beef spinal cord from cattle less than 30 months of 
age starting in November, 2009, be retracted, and that the 
negotiations over the protocol on U.S. beef imports to Taiwan be 
renewed.'  Judging from the proposed [referendum] text, the agenda 
calling for a referendum is nearly non-existent following the 
Legislative Yuan's passing of the third reading of the amendments to 
the Act Governing Food Sanitation. ... 
 
"Additionally, the United States has issued a strongly-worded 
statement [to Taiwan] that the amendment to [Taiwan's] domestic law 
violated the contents of the Taiwan-U.S. [beef] protocol.  As a 
result, the government has immediately embarked on diplomatic 
efforts to make up [for its disagreement with the United States]. 
More importantly, relevant negotiations must be started again.  The 
goal of the economic, trade and national security departments is to 
resume negotiations [with the United States] right away.  Even 
though Washington is now having a fit of temper and is not willing 
to open its door for talks for the time being, the protocol 
stipulated that consultations shall be held three months from now. 
In other words, shortly following the Consumers' Foundation starting 
its second stage of signature collecting, the talks to be conducted 
by the government agencies [with the United States] will have just 
begun.  Also, since the risky parts of U.S. beef that have been 
banned from being imported only account for a tiny share of the 
output value, judging from the United States' unilateral interests, 
there is no reason [that Washington] will procrastinate over the 
renegotiation.  It is likely that Taiwan and the United States will 
reach a new protocol even before the second stage for the referendum 
process is finished.  Will we still need a referendum? 
 
"To put it in a more concrete way, even if the referendum proposal 
passes the threshold for the second stage and were truly held, it 
will be extremely difficult to win the approval of more than one 
half of all the [Taiwan] citizens, as required by the Referendum 
Law.  Given that the chances for the referendum to be rejected are 
much higher than it will be passed, does it mean that we will 
approve the significant opening of Taiwan's market to U.S. beef 
should the referendum be rejected? 
 
"The referendum on U.S. beef is an issue concerning the people's 
livelihood, and a very complicated one.  Because it involves 
negotiations between [two] countries, the United States strongly 
disapproved of the Legislative Yuan's amendment to the Act Governing 
Food Sanitation and said bluntly that Taiwan lacks credibility. 
Given such a precedent, plus the referendum, it will put Taiwan in a 
very unfavorable position if it wants to negotiate any deals with 
other countries, and it will have severe repercussions on Taiwan's 
international image as well. ..." 
 
D) "First It Was US Beef, then an ECFA" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (1/8): 
 
"President Ma Ying-jeou endured possibly the biggest setback of his 
political career on Tuesday when, after months of to-ing and 
fro-ing, the legislature finally came around to re-imposing 
restrictions on certain US beef products.  Not only was the move a 
slap in the face for the executive -- which had negotiated the deal 
with the US -- it was also a severe blow for Ma as Chinese 
Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman. KMT legislators put on a show of 
defiance in passing the amendment, while also laying down the law 
for the executive on future handling of beef imports.  The reversal 
not only humiliated Ma, but also made him look weaker than ever. 
... 
 
"While lack of communication is partly responsible for the current 
shambles, the biggest objection for most people was the manner in 
which the protocol was negotiated.  In striking the deal in secret, 
the government ignored the possibility of negative public reaction, 
seeming only to be concerned about what it could get in return from 
the US for lifting the ban. Washington had been stalling on several 
issues to get the ban lifted, but to fail to take into consideration 
the reaction of the public and the legislature was a fatal 
miscalculation.  Ma cannot blame legislators for this, as they were 
only bowing to pressure from the public, who remain ill-informed 
about the safety of US beef.  It was the government's task to ensure 
people were informed before they announced the protocol, not 
negotiate the deal behind closed doors and try to explain away any 
fears after more US beef was allowed to enter the market.  The 
failure to translate the protocol into Chinese was another big 
mistake as this left many feeling that the government had something 
to hide. ..." 
 
STANTON