VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0521/01 0512307
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 202307Z FEB 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8603
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4691
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 5886

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000521 
 
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: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies 
continued February 17 to report on the aftermath of 
President Chen Shui-bian's Lunar New Year's Day proposal to 
abolish the National Unification Council, and the 
controversy sparked by a KMT advertisement Tuesday which for 
the first time the party's inclusion of Taiwan independence 
as a possible option for the Taiwan people to choose for 
their future.  Coverage also focused on the U.S. arms 
procurements and other local issues.  The pro-independence 
"Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a banner 
headline on its front page that read: "[The Decision to] 
Abolish the National Unification Council and National 
Unification Guidelines Will Be Moved Ahead and Made Within 
February."  The newspaper also carried a news story by 
Washington correspondent Nadia Tsao on its second page with 
the headline: "United States and Taiwan Get Closer for 
Communicating about [Chen's] Proposal to Abolish the 
National Unification Council."  The pro-independence "Taiwan 
Daily" quoted DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun in its front-page 
story as saying that the DPP's version of Taiwan's new 
constitution will touch upon issues such as Taiwan's 
national flag and national title.  The pro-status-quo "China 
Times," however, ran an exclusive interview with former DPP 
Premier Frank Hsieh on its second page in which Hsieh 
welcomed KMT Ma Ying-jeou's move to include Taiwan 
independence as a possible option for the Taiwan people. 
 
In terms of the U.S. arms procurement issue, all major 
Chinese-language dailies in their inside pages reported on a 
piece in "The Journalist" magazine in which Legislative Yuan 
President Wang Jin-pyng revealed that President Chen has 
accepted his suggestion to follow the results of the 2004 
referendum in that Taiwan will not push for the procurement 
of PAC3 missiles for three years. 
 
¶2. Most papers continued to editorialize on KMT Chairman 
Ma's discourse on cross-Strait relations.  A "Liberty Times" 
editorial urged the United States to put Taiwan's mainstream 
public opinion and political reality into consideration when 
defining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.  Wang Kun- 
yi, associate professor at Tamkang University's Graduate 
Institute of Intenational Affairs and Strategic Studies, 
defended President Chen in an opinion piece in the limited- 
circulated, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" by saying Chen is following his own logic when he 
proposes to abolish the National Unification Council and 
people should not oversimplify his actions.  A "China Times" 
editorial, on the other hand, pointed out that Ma failed to 
address China's human rights situation and democratic 
reforms when he talked in Europe about his position 
regarding cross-Strait relations.  An editorial in the 
limited-circulated, conservative, pro-unification, English- 
language "China Post" strongly urged the KMT to remain 
committed to the pursuit of reunification with China and not 
to waltz to the tune set by President Chen.  End summary. 
 
A) "`Maintaining the Status Quo' - `[KMT] Joining Hands with 
the Chinese Communist Party to Restrain Taiwan Independence' 
- `Ultimate Unification [between Taiwan and China]'? 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (2/17): 
 
". In fact, [Taiwan's] mainstream public opinion is very 
clear now.  For a majority of Taiwan people, Taiwan is 
Taiwan; China is China; and one country on each side of the 
Taiwan Strait is the authentic political reality.  In other 
words, when the United States said it is opposed to any 
attempt by either side of the Taiwan Strait to change the so- 
called `status quo,' it obviously should take Taiwan's 
mainstream public opinion and the political reality across 
the Taiwan Strait, not the `status quo' defined by China or 
Washington, into consideration.  That way the stability 
across the Taiwan Strait can be maintained, and as a result, 
Taiwan will not feel that it is confined and forced to tilt 
toward China.  In fact, the `status quo' defined by Taiwan 
includes `maintaining the status quo' and `[Taiwan] 
independence' because the two options both reject China's 
annexation [of Taiwan].  The only difference is that the 
first option is `independence in substance but not in name,' 
while the latter seeks `independence both in deed as well as 
in name' - that is, whether it is doing something like 
carrying a signboard [with the words] the Republic of China 
or publicly wearing the national title of Taiwan, the 
island's status quo is that it is an independent sovereign 
state.  It is China's aggressiveness [stemming from its 
desire to] annex Taiwan and its [missile] deployment that 
are the evil roots that attempt to unilaterally alter the 
 
status quo.  The United States should strongly stop and 
oppose [China's attempts], or the Taiwan Strait and the Asia- 
Pacific area will become turbulent and there will never be 
days of peace. ." 
 
B) "President Chen Knows Just What He Is Doing" 
 
Wang Kun-yi, associate professor at Tamkang University's 
Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic 
Studies, noted in the pro-independence, English-language 
"Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (2/17): 
 
"In fact, Chen's call to abandon the unification discourse 
is built on the same foundations as `one country on each 
side of the strait' - namely, on the presence of a military 
threat and Taiwan's own democracy.  The threat refers to the 
missiles that China has aimed at Taiwan, while democracy is 
a call for all Taiwan people to have a say in deciding their 
own future. . 
 
"And again, if the [U.S.] arms procurement act is passed, 
there will be the chance of a US-Taiwan alliance to resist 
the threat of China's missiles.  If abandoning the 
unification discourse can be tightly bound together with a 
commercial alliance of Taiwanese business interests and a 
military alliance with the US, then Chen will be able to 
step down in 2008 with the assurance of a job well done.  So 
we should not oversimplify Chen's actions.  He is following 
his own logic.  After all, the fact that he has successfully 
prevented China, over six long and difficult years, from 
moving directly against him, proves that he know what he is 
doing." 
 
C) "The Topics That Ma Ying-jeou Should Have Said but Failed 
to [During His European Trip]" 
 
The pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] 
commented in its editorial (2/17): 
 
". Just because Ma has `said too much' about [his] position 
on cross-Strait relations and issues regarding unification 
and independence, it appeared that he has `said too little' 
regarding some topics, in particular, those about the human 
rights protection and democratic reforms inside mainland 
China. . In other words, if Ma believes that what mainland 
China needs most is continuous and progressive social and 
political reforms, and as he himself said in his speech [in 
London] that the KMT under his leadership is willing to make 
contributions for mainland China's progress and development, 
he then should have expressed more concerns about the 
current human rights and democratic conditions inside 
mainland China. .  [Likewise], if Ma believes that 
democratic reforms on the mainland is one of the major 
conditions for cross-Strait interaction and even, ultimate 
reunification, in the future, he then should have not 
totally overlooked and said nothing about the recent events 
on China where freedom of speech was suppressed. ." 
 
D) "KMT Must Stay Committed to Reunified China" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China 
Post" [circulation: 30,000] said in an editorial (2/17): 
 
". The publication of the [KMT] ad was apparently aimed at 
countering the recent accusations from President Chen Shui- 
bian that the KMT, particularly Ma, is supportive of the 
rulers in Beijing.  This smear tactic by Chen and his men is 
believed to have a considerable impact on voter support for 
Ma as a prospective candidate in the 2008 presidential 
election. 
 
"Ma and other top KMT officials need not waltz to Chen's 
music.  They must remember that the pursuit of reunification 
is a cores value of the party.  It is this ideal that has 
kept the party's backers together, than made them loyal 
supporters of the party.  It is unwise to replace this 
stance with a dubious position for the purpose of wooing 
voters who favor independence.  The KMT should remain 
committed to the pursuit of reunification and seek to 
convince independence supporters of the need for a reunified 
China." 
 
KEEGAN