VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0843/01 0740617
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 150617Z MAR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9087
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4862
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6051

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000843 
 
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: U.S. AND CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
 
¶1. Summary: On the day marking the first anniversary of China's 
passage of its "Anti-Secession Law," Taiwan's major Chinese-language 
dailies focused their coverage on the call for a new investigation 
into the 319 shooting incident, and other local issues.  The 
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" ran a banner headline on its page 
two that read: "Cessation of the National Unification Council (NUC) 
and National Unification Guidelines (NUG) Are Accurate [Moves]; the 
President Will Be Happy to Brief the Legislative Yuan [about the NUC 
and NUG Matter]."  Also, the pro-independence "Liberty Times," 
Taiwan's biggest daily, and pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" both 
carried in their inside pages an opinion survey conducted by the 
ruling DPP that reported that in the face of China's increasing 
military buildup, 50 percent of those polled said they support 
Taiwan independence, while 29 percent said they support unification 
with China, and 13 percent said they support maintaining the status 
quo. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, Lin Chong-pin, professor 
at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs 
& Strategic Studies, opined in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" 
that it is very important for Taiwan to have a clear and accurate 
understanding of the "Anti-Secession Law" -- that is, China wants to 
use economic, cultural and social forces to achieve its goal of 
unification with Taiwan, and the use of force will be its last 
resort.  An editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, 
pro-unification, English-language "China Post" pointed out that the 
NUC drama has served "a sobering lesson" to Chen - namely, "the 
island has many options for the future but it has no choice at all." 
 A "Taiwan Daily" editorial marked the first anniversary of China's 
passage of the "Anti-Secession Law" by calling for Taiwan to move 
towards "de jure independence."  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" said the United States, instead of reining in Taiwan, should 
encourage Taiwan to speak the truth about China's rise.  End 
summary. 
 
A) "Seeing the True Face of the Anti-Secession Law Clearly" 
 
 [circulation: 500,000] (3/14): 
 
"Beijing passed the 'Anti-Secession Law' exactly one year ago from 
today.  The move upset all of the Taiwan people, and countries such 
as the United States and Japan also viewed it seriously.  One month 
later [following China's move], [U.S. President] George W. Bush went 
to the European Union and used the 'Anti-Secession Law' to 
successfully convince the latter not to lift its arms embargo on 
China.  But the shrill reactions from all sides [towards China's 
move] have actually covered up the true face of the 'Anti-Secession 
Law.' ... 
 
"Judging from Beijing's practices toward Taiwan following the 
passage of the 'Anti-Secession Law,' or the wording of the statutes 
themselves and the contents of the law, [it is Qident that] the 
focus of the law is to use economic, cultural and social forces to 
achieve the goal of [China-Taiwan] unification. ... Beijing's 
increasingly strengthened military power will only be used as a 
backing, not a vanguard force, for its non-military tools - foreign 
relations, economy, and culture - [to push for unification with 
Taiwan]. ... Using force to attack Taiwan will be Beijing's last 
resort. 
 
"[As a result,] Taiwan's military strength must be maintained 
appropriately.  Taiwan must have clear national defense objectives: 
namely, for the short term, it needs to have sufficient military 
power so as to sustain itself until the U.S. military comes to 
Taiwan's rescue; and in the long run, it needs to have sufficient 
military strength as the backing for the island to engage in 
cross-Strait negotiations, or the United States will make repeated 
demands on Taiwan.  Taiwan still has many opportunities and hopes. 
But the top priority is that we must objectively and rationally 
assess the overall climate we are in and work out a consensus.  ... 
Having a clear and accurate understand of the 'Anti-Secession Law' 
should be the most important matter for Taiwan on the first 
anniversary of the passage of the law." 
 
B) "Many Options, But No Choice" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (3/14): 
 
"Reports from Washington indicate that the Bush administration has 
opted to accept at face value President Chen's explanations and 
'move on' from his controversial scrapping of the National 
Unification Council (NUC). ... By closing the chapter in a whimper, 
Washington has done a huge favor to Chen again.  But the president 
and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party are not allowed the 
pleasure and sense of achievement of ruling out reunification with 
the mainland as an option for Taiwan.  The U.S. gives them nothing 
to celebrate about loudly in public, lest it irritates Beijing 
further to prompt harsher punishment from Washington.  That's the 
message brought by Richard Armitage, a former U.S. deputy secretary 
of state, last week. 
 
"Thus Chen's wish of building a de-unification legacy remains 
incomplete.  The NUC drama, however, has served a sobering lesson to 
Chen and his fellow promoters of Taiwan independence.  It 
highlighted the cruel reality that the island has many options for 
the future but it has no choice at all. ... Taiwan's status quo, 'a 
self-ruled, democratic Chinese non-state,' as defined by the 
powerful, is not the result of Taiwan's choice but an imposed fate. 
China has been a reluctant subscriber to this arrangement because it 
does not have the power to overturn it.  The island also does not 
have the capability to maintain or change the unreasonable status 
quo.  The latest episode clearly shows that even if Taiwan 
'unilaterally' changed it, as Chen just did rhetorically, it 
couldn't stand for long. ..." 
 
C) "[Taiwan's] Anti-Aggression Day Marks the [Island's] Crisis of 
Being Invaded by a High-handed Neighbor; [Taiwan] Should Move Toward 
'De Jure Independence' by Rectifying Its Name and Writing a New 
Constitution, in an Attempt to Deter China's Invasion" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 100,000] asserted 
in an editorial (3/14): 
 
"... We thus need to remind the masters of Taiwan that despite their 
different political stands and ethnic groups, they must stay on high 
alert and be cautioned: given the current climate inside and outside 
Taiwan, only when all the 23 million Taiwan people unite together to 
say 'No' to China and tell the international community that Taiwan 
is not part of China can Taiwan safeguard its democracy, freedom and 
prosperity.  Only by doing so can Taiwan maintain the basic human 
rights of its entire population and their descendents. ..." 
 
D) "Taiwan Needs to Warn World of China's Rise" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (3/14): 
 
"... Although maintaining the status quo has been U.S. policy in the 
region, the rise of China's economic and military clout has already 
considerably shaken and undermined the balance of forces and 
influence across the Taiwan Strait compared to six years ago.  In 
this context, President Chen Shui-bian's February 27 decision to 
'cease the operations' of the long-dormant National Unification 
Council and 'cease the application' of the National Unification 
Guidelines can be seen as a counter stroke directed against the 
emerging Communist party-pan KMT camp alliance. ... 
 
"The U.S. has to face the reality that the rise of the PRC threatens 
to become a grave negative force for instability in the Asia-Pacific 
region in a manner worryingly reminiscent of the similar 'economic 
and military' rise of an intensely nationalistic Japanese state a 
century ago.  This danger cannot be 'risk managed' by compelling 
Taiwan to remain passive and silent while our democracy and the 
right of our 23 million people to make a free choice on our future 
is increasingly threatened.  Instead of being 'reined in,' Taiwan's 
democratically elected government should be encouraged to speak the 
truth by the United States, if the latter is to continue to lay any 
claim to be the leader of a world 'democratic' camp." 
 
KEEGAN