This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 004872 
 
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: WTO AND EAST ASIA SUMMIT, U.S.- 
CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
¶1.  Summary: Major Chinese-language Taiwan dailies focused 
their coverage December 13 on local political issues such as 
Vice President Annette Lu's unexpected announcement Monday 
evening that she was resigning as acting DPP chairperson 
(after just five days in the position); and a meeting 
between KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou and PFP Chairman James 
Soong that ended with them announcing that they had agreed 
that each party will boost its cooperation with the other 
before the two formally merge.  Almost all newspapers 
reported in their inside pages about Monday's AIT news 
briefing in which AIT Agricultural Affairs Section Chief 
Scott S. Sindelar said AIT is disappointed that Taiwan has 
not yet resumed U.S. beef imports. 
 
¶2.  Most Taiwan dailies gave limited space to coverage of 
the WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong (December 13-18) 
and the East Asia Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur 
(December 14).  In terms of editorials and commentaries, 
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Hsin-yuan commented 
on the significance of these two international meetings in 
an opinion piece published in the centrist, pro-status quo 
"China Times"; according to Lai, the events "unveil a 
clearer and clearer fact": namely, U.S. influence has 
declined.  An editorial in the limited-circulation, 
conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
claimed that Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick's 
stated hope that China would become a "responsible 
stakeholder" is "potentially the most far-reaching 
redefinition of U.S. policy toward China for years to come." 
End summary. 
 
¶1. WTO and East Asia Summit 
 
"When the WTO [Meeting] Coincides with East Asia Summit" 
 
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Hsin-yuan commented 
in an opinion piece in the centrist, pro-status quo "China 
Times" [circulation: 400,000] (12/13): 
 
"The World Trade Organization's (WTO) sixth ministerial- 
level meeting will be held in Hong Kong from December 13-18. 
In the meantime, the first-ever `East Asia Summit' will kick 
off in Kuala Lumpur starting December 14.  The coincidence 
of these two major meetings silently proclaims the future 
development [of the] direction of the world economic and 
trading system, which thus deserves our close attention. . 
 
"In contrast to the uncertain future of the WTO, the `East 
Asia Summit' has created an upbeat and exciting vision since 
its very start.  Such a contrast does in fact unveil a 
clearer and clearer fact: namely, U.S. influence has 
declined. . 
 
"Over the past five years, it has become a prevailing trend 
for countries to sign regional trade agreements (RTA) and 
[bilateral] free trade agreements (FTA) with other 
countries.  The trend of signing multilateral or bilateral 
trade agreements has led to a situation in which strong 
powers strive for supremacy and has thus utterly changed the 
originally unilateral world dominated solely by the United 
States.  The first-ever `East Asia Summit' can best 
demonstrate such a development.  The ASEAN nations 
deliberately excluded the United States from participating 
in the summit this time.  The movement to get rid of U.S. 
[influence], or even, the [fostering of] anti-U.S. 
sentiment, has loomed over Asia . following the tracks of 
the Middle East and Latin America. . 
 
". Taiwan, as a member of Asia, will likely be even more 
isolated once Asia determines to move in the direction of 
RTAs, as symbolized by the East Asia Summit.  In the face of 
the new global economic order [that is forming] in the wake 
of declining U.S. influence, Taiwan must embrace a more and 
more flexible way of thinking and an open-minded vision; it 
should no longer look upon the United States as the 
[world's] sole leader but should be sensitive enough to 
accommodate the re-organizational activities going on in 
every region so as to develop broader and more diversified 
economic relations within the changing world order." 
 
¶2. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations 
 
"U.S., China as Stakeholders" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China 
Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (12/13): 
 
"A new world of `stakeholders' is taking shape, with the 
U.S. retaining its leadership and China a hesitant 
collaborator.  Championed by Deputy Secretary of State 
Robert Zoellick, who is officially described as Secretary 
Condoleezza Rice's `principal deputy, adviser and alter 
ego,' it is potentially the most far-reaching redefinition 
of U.S. policy towards China for years to come. . 
 
"There is a growing understanding that the future is 
unlikely to be dominated by the West in the manner of the 
past two centuries.  And today, the most important region in 
the world is East Asia, where the future will be played out, 
despite recent tensions between China, South Korea and Japan 
over history.  In this new world, Taiwan remains a stake but 
a diminished one.  Washington has reaffirmed its commitment 
to the one-China policy, the three communiqus and the 
Taiwan Relations Act, while Beijing has enacted an anti- 
secession law to balance the U.S. law and safeguard its 
territorial integrity, with tacit U.S. understanding. 
 
"Both have vowed to maintain the status quo: Taiwan is part 
of China, before peaceful reunification, its current status, 
as the diplomatically isolated Republic of China, cannot be 
changed; Taiwan independence is war.  This new arrangement 
has thus freed the two powers from the highly emotional 
Taiwan problem, making it possible for them to collaborate 
on other issues of mutual interests.  The U.S. will help 
China rise and China will help the U.S. lead. 
 
"President Bush recently praised Taiwan for having "created 
a free and democratic `Chinese society.'  Independence 
advocates would have preferred him to use `Taiwanese' rather 
than `Chinese' in that context.  But that was exactly 
Washington's message to Taipei and Beijing." 
 
PAAL