VZCZCXRO4746
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHIN #1434/01 1160506
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260506Z APR 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9875
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5114
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6318
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 7666
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 6431
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 7793
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0076
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1218
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5177
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9265

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001434 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/TC, EAP/PD 
DEPT PASS TO AIT/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPAO US CH TW
SUBJECT:  TAIWAN STUDENTS:  US DOING TOO LITTLE 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 11, 2006, AIT hosted a group of 35 
students to discuss cross-Strait issues in a Digital Video 
Conference (DVC) with Washington. In a 1-hour follow-on discussion, 
the students candidly expressed frustration with the USG's 
cross-Strait policy and the lack of support for Taiwan democracy. 
END SUMMARY 
 
¶2.  (U) In the latest of a series of meetings aimed at assessing 
student perspectives on U.S. cross-Strait policy, AIT hand-picked a 
panel of four undergraduate and  graduate students majoring in 
Political Science and American Studies to discuss cross-Strait 
issues with Dr. Richard Bush.  After the DVC concluded, students 
from the audience asked a number of insightful questions giving 
perspective on how they view their self-identity and U.S.-Taiwan 
cross-Strait policy. 
 
-------------------------------- 
TAIWAN IDENTITY NOT YET FORGED 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The group had differing ideas of what Taiwan identity 
means.  One 26-year old student stated, "while my family was 
originally from the Mainland, I am culturally Chinese, but 
politically Taiwanese."  He has never visited the PRC, and his life 
is rooted in a democratic Taiwan. Some of the students said their 
generation had not yet formed a "true" Taiwan identity because they 
were born into a society still dominated by KMT pro-unification 
propaganda.  Students were also particularly interested in the kind 
of sources China uses to assess the Taiwan perspective.  One of the 
attending professors remarked that China's understanding of Taiwan 
is limited because they rely only on Mandarin (guoyu) source 
materials, and do not consult Taiwanese (taiyu) sources. He added 
that China cannot understand Taiwan unless they consult with those 
who actually understand the Taiwanese language. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
STATUS QUO POLICY IS NOT IN TAIWAN'S INTEREST 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Several students opined that the status quo policy is not 
in Taiwan's best interests.  One panelist said "staying in place is 
the same as moving backwards for Taiwan."  He criticized the U.S. 
for not paying attention to the rising tension in Taiwan society 
over the PRC's military buildup.  He stated, "If the U.S. does not 
actively mediate between China and Taiwan, then Taiwan will continue 
to lose ground militarily to the PRC."  Responding to Dr. Bush's 
suggestion that Taiwan must build consensus before the U.S. can take 
a larger role, another student suggested that U.S. actions often 
influence Taiwan popular opinion, and that the U.S. could lead 
Taiwan toward consensus, instead of waiting for it.  Moreover, as a 
democratic society Taiwan will always have debate, and will never 
achieve the kind of consensus that totalitarian China can. 
 
---------------------------- 
ARMS PROCUREMENTS NOT NEEDED 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) During the discussion on arms sales, one student commented, 
"The weapons the U.S. would like to sell to Taiwan are outdated and 
will take so long to manufacture that they are not practical."  He 
continued, "Taiwan will eventually lose any war with China, so it is 
a waste of time and energy for Taiwan to try to deter China through 
military means...A better solution would be for the U.S. to help 
Taiwan negotiate with the PRC to obtain a stable peace across the 
Strait." 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
HONG KONG STYLE REUNIFICATION NOT FOR TAIWAN 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The students did not believe Hong Kong-style reunification 
would work for Taiwan.  They contended that Taiwan's political and 
social culture are far removed from the PRC's.  Students in Taiwan 
are accustomed to a level of free speech and active participation in 
their society that those in the PRC cannot understand or appreciate. 
 If Taiwan were to reunify under a Hong Kong model, one student 
claimed, its citizens would have to give up the freedom that they 
 
TAIPEI 00001434  002 OF 002 
 
 
had recently achieved. 
 
----------------------------------- 
U.S. DOING TOO MUCH, AND NOT ENOUGH 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Several students complained the U.S. used its position to 
suppress the democratic rights of the Taiwanese people to make their 
own decisions, especially on the questions of constitutional reform 
and independence.  According to these students, the U.S. also seemed 
to be meddling in Taiwan's domestic politics, by appearing to punish 
President Chen for "challenging" the status quo, and to reward KMT 
Chairman Ma Ying-jeou for "going along with it."  The students also 
interpreted President Bush's recent statement that reunification 
should take place "with the consent of the people on both sides of 
the Strait" to mean that the U.S. (wrongly) affords China's 
totalitarian system the same moral status as Taiwan's democracy. 
One student asked, "If Taiwan decides democratically to do something 
against U.S. interests, (i.e. declare independence) will the U.S. 
still support us?" 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Several students wanted the U.S. to use its influence to 
create an atmosphere of negotiation and reconciliation as the USG 
has more leverage over China than does Taiwan.  The students said 
that the U.S. could push the PRC government to meet with the Taiwan 
government.  At the very least, one student commented, "The U.S. 
could act as a witness to any deal agreed to between two groups of 
Chinese people." 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: This is not a scientific sampling of Taiwan youth 
opinions, but it does provide a useful unfiltered view of opinions 
we often hear expressed in far more indirect or diplomatic language. 
The students were not a homogeneous group.  Some self-identified as 
Chinese, and more as Taiwanese, with the largest group 
self-identifying as both.   They also differed on whether the U.S. 
should be more active in cross-Strait relations or less. However, 
there seemed to be consensus among the students present that the USG 
was not doing enough to promote and support Taiwan democracy. END 
COMMENT 
 
YOUNG