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 004950 
 
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: U.S. ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL 
 
¶1.  Summary: Major Chinese-language Taiwan dailies (12/22) 
focused on the Taipei District Court's verdict that 
President Chen Shui-bian must compensate former KMT Chairman 
Lien and PFP Chairman James Soong in the "soft coup" case 
with a payment of NT$1 each and issue public apologies 
through advertisements in local newspapers. 
 
The editorials and commentaries (12/22) still focus on the 
U.S. arms procurement bill.  The pro-independence "Liberty 
Times" said in its editorial that KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou 
should help pass the U.S. arms procurement bill in the 
Legislative Yuan, because he might possibly be Taiwan's 
president in 2008 and that one of the president's 
responsibility is to protect the safety of the citizens. 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
editorialized that it is time for Chairman Ma to show his 
sincerity regarding the protection of Taiwan security 
through rational discussions of the bill.  Taiwan Think 
Tank's analyst Lai I-chung wrote in the pro-independence, 
limited-circulated "Taiwan Daily" that the United States 
considers Taiwan `unreliable' due to the delayed passage of 
the bill.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  "The U.S. Arms Procurement Bill is the First Challenge 
that [KMT Chairman] Ma Ying-jeou Faces Before Running for 
the 2008 Presidential Elections" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized that (12/22): 
 
". To be fair, after Ma Ying-jeou became the KMT chairman, 
one of the expectations in the society was that Ma should 
abandon the [KMT's] confrontational position but carry out 
negotiation and cooperation between the ruling party and 
opposition parties based on the idea of `Taiwan First' and 
the welfare of 23 million Taiwan people.  The possibility of 
delivering the U.S. arms procurement bill to the Legislative 
Yuan's National Defense Committee for review is especially 
considered as an important indicator of Ma's political 
stance. 
 
"In fact, we are almost completely certain that Ma will be 
the only candidate representing the pan-Blue alliance in the 
2008 presidential elections.  In other words, Ma is one of 
the few who could become Taiwan's president.  Based on this 
[thinking], we urge Chairman Ma not to follow the KMT's 
ideology and block the bill from being delivered to the 
Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee for review. 
The reason is that no matter who becomes the Taiwan 
president, he/she has to be responsible for the protection 
of all the [Taiwan] people. ." 
 
¶3.  "The Meaning of the Arms Bill" 
 
The pro-independence "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] 
editorialized that (12/22): 
"If, as [KMT Chairman] Ma Ying-jeou has often claimed, his 
party supports legitimate self-defense and is against only a 
"sucker's" arms purchase, then wouldn't the legislative 
review provide a good opportunity for lawmakers from his 
party to engage in a rational debate with their pan-green 
counterparts? ." 
". Regardless of whether or not this is the case, the pan- 
blues' ceaseless rejection of the bill in the Procedure 
Committee has drawn questions from the public and fueled 
concern in Washington that Taiwan may, after all, not be 
serious about its own defense. 
 
"Without doubt, the ball is now in Ma's court. The 
legislative review will provide one and all with an 
opportunity to see whether Ma is sincere about Taiwan's 
defense. ." 
 
¶4.  "`Taiwan Passing': New Concerns Looming for U.S.-Taiwan 
Relations" 
 
Lai I-chung, Director for International Affairs at the 
Taiwan Think Tank wrote in the pro-independence, limited 
circulated "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 30,000] that 
(12/22): 
 
". The major damage caused by the delayed passage of the 
U.S. arms procurement bill on U.S.-Taiwan relations is that 
Taiwan has become an `unreliable' partner in the eyes of the 
United States. . A more negative impact caused by the 
`unreliability' is that Taiwan has become `irrelevant' on 
U.S-Taiwan relations.  It is not because the United States 
does not regard highly Taiwan, but that the United States 
cannot ascertain Taiwan's attitude due to Taiwan's paralyzed 
democracy.  Moreover, the United States considers Taiwan to 
be an unmanageable factor when making strategic decisions, 
and Taiwan is therefore not included in those decisions. ." 
 
PAAL