VZCZCXYZ0016
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1406/01 1110855
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210855Z APR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9838
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5105
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6306

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001406 
 
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.-CHINA SUMMIT 
 
 
¶1. Summary: While Taiwan's dailies gave significant coverage April 
21 to the meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese 
President Hu Jintao Thursday, coverage also focused on the 
controversial battle over the ownership of the Sogo Department 
Store, which First Lady Wu Shu-chen is allegedly involved in, and 
other political issues.  With the exception of the pro-independence 
"Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, all the Chinese-language 
papers reported on the Bush-Hu meeting on their front page.  Both 
the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" and pro-unification "United Daily 
News," ran a banner headline on their front pages that quoted Bush 
as saying he does not support Taiwan independence.  The pro-status 
quo "China Times" ran a banner headline on its page two which 
juxtaposed Bush's statement of not supporting Taiwan independence 
and Hu's statement of opposing Taiwan independence.  The "China 
Times" also devoted two-thirds of its page two and the whole of its 
page 13 to Hu's U.S. trip and the issues discussed during the 
Bush-Hu meeting.  The "Liberty Times" spent the whole of its page 
three reporting on the Bush-Hu meeting and protests outside the 
White House against Hu's visit.  The newspaper also ran a news story 
on its page four with the banner headline: "Bian Urges China to Talk 
to Taiwan's Elected Leader."  The front-page news story of the 
pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" carried the headline that said: 
"During the Bush-Hu Meeting, a Falun Gong [Practitioner] Protests 
against Hu in His Face." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" 
editorial said only with its democratic values can Taiwan fight 
against the totalitarian China.  A "Taiwan Daily" editorial said 
Washington's move to downgrade its reception of Hu revealed its 
doubts about China's dictatorship.  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" commented on President Chen Shui-bian's letter to the "Wall 
Street Journal" Thursday prior to the Bush-Hu meeting, saying "Chen 
said exactly what he should have been saying to the U.S. all along: 
Taiwan has no intention of making life hard for Washington, but has 
been forced to take proactive measures to protect its democratic 
system from Beijing."  A "United Daily News" news analysis said Bush 
took a preemptive move by mentioning the Taiwan issue first; a 
separate "United Daily News" commentary said Beijing is not anxious 
to resolve the trade and international issues that Washington is 
concerned about because it firmly believes that as long as China 
keeps developing, the United States will need China more and more. 
End summary. 
 
A) "Only with Democratic Values Can [Taiwan] Resist Barbarous and 
Totalitarian China" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (4/21): 
 
"... Taiwan should continue deepening its democracy, so that it can 
resolve the island's inner differences and conflicts, strengthen its 
Taiwan-centered values, and forge its modern ethnic consciousness. 
When it comes to the fight for Taiwan's sovereignty, once Taiwan is 
able to distinguish between friend and foe and see through China's 
aggressiveness to annex Taiwan, all the Taiwan people will wake up 
to their national awareness and they will join hands together to 
fight for Taiwan.  Democracy and freedom are the best tools to fight 
a totalitarian dictatorship -- this is an eternal truth revealed in 
the human history.  Taiwan should make use of its democratic 
achievements to resist the barbarous China.  This is the best way 
for Taiwan to survive." 
 
B) "[The Fact That] Bush and Hu Each 'Have Different Interpretations 
About Hu's Visit [to the U.S.]' Reveals Washington's Doubts about 
China.  Taiwan Should Strengthen Cooperation with the United States 
and Japan to Prevent the Threats Posed by China's Rise" 
 
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation: 100,000] 
editorialized (4/21): 
 
"... To sum up, democracy is the basic reason why the United States 
has downgraded its reception of [Chinese President] Hu Jintao this 
time.  Also, it was because Washington wanted to keep a distance 
with China's anti-democratic regime.  More importantly, the United 
States wanted to convey its doubts about the strong military buildup 
and hegemonic attitude of the totalitarian China. ..." 
 
C) "Right People Make the Difference" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] said in an editorial (4/21): 
 
"So President Chen Shui-bian has finally gotten the hang of things. 
He sent a letter to the 'Wall Street Journal' clarifying his 
policies just as Chinese President Hu Jintao prepares to meet with 
US President George W. Bush.  In his letter, Chen said exactly what 
he should have been saying to the US all along: Taiwan has no 
intention of making life hard for Washington, but has been forced to 
take proactive measures to protect its democratic system from 
Beijing. ...  Given the US's schizophrenia over Taiwan, it is little 
wonder that Chen was hoping to do something to generate goodwill in 
Washington.  US leaders have a sad history of allowing themselves to 
be led around by the nose when the Chinese come calling, their 
pockets stuffed with trade deals. ... 
 
"The Presidential Office should now be commended for its 
preparations for Hu's visit to the US, which included a flurry of 
activity in the last week between Washington and Taipei to ensure 
that there was nothing that would give the White House a reason to 
crack down on Taiwan.  No less importantly, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and the American Institute in Taiwan are clearly executing 
their roles properly.  It may be simplistic to ascribe this simply 
to personnel changes, but the lines of communication between the two 
governments have clearly improved.  What a difference a de facto 
ambassador makes." 
 
D) "Bush Takes a Preemptive Move with Regard to the Taiwan Issue, 
While Hu Tries to Secure Each Inch of His Territory" 
 
Washington correspondent Vincent Chang said in a news analysis in 
the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
(4/21): 
 
"... There were many issues on the agenda of the Bush-Hu meeting 
this time.  But these issues can be classified into two major parts 
depending on the U.S. interest: One part is how the United States 
thinks China can play the role of a 'responsible stakeholder;' and 
the other part is that Washington would want Hu to define and carry 
out the theory of '[China's] peaceful development.' ... 
 
"On the surface, the United States seemed to have offered China a 
beautiful garland of being a 'responsible stakeholder' to wear on 
its head."  But in reality, it wants to urge China to fulfill the 
commitments made when it joined the World Trade Organization, 
namely, flexibly adjusting the exchange rates of the Renminbi and 
opening its market to the U.S. products.  Also, in terms of North 
Korea's and Iran's nuclear programs and the campaign against 
terrorism, Washington does not want to see China 'walk the road as 
it pleases ' but desires to restrain the direction of China's rise. 
It remains doubtful whether China will really listen to the United 
States. ..." 
 
E) "A Summit That Is Friendly But Produces No Substantive Results" 
 
Cheng Rei-yao, chief of the Department of American and European 
Studies at National Chengchi University's Institute of International 
Relations, opined in the pro-unification "United Daily News" 
[circulation: 400,000] (4/21): 
 
"... Hu Jintao wants to create an international image and status as 
a leader of a big nation, maintain China's stable relationship with 
the United States, alleviate bilateral trade conflicts, and seek to 
create a strategic climate and opportunities for China's peaceful 
development.  In general, except for the Taiwan issue, for which 
Beijing hopes to get an immediate response from Washington, 
Beijing's objectives lie in the medium- and long-term management [of 
the China-U.S. relationship].  As long as it can handle Washington's 
requests in the short term, Beijing is not so anxious to resolve the 
trade, economic, and international issues that the United States is 
concerned about.  In addition, Beijing believes that the United 
States will need China more and more as China keeps developing. 
..." 
 
YOUNG