VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1691 1370735
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170735Z MAY 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0216
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5215
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6422

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001691 
 
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: PRESIDENT CHEN'S OVERSEAS TRIP, U.S.-TAIWAN 
RELATIONS 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage May 17 on alleged involvement by President Chen's 
son-in-law in insider trading, the pan-Green camp's successful 
attempt to block passage of the cross-Strait direct transportation 
amendments by the Legislative Yuan; the year-end Taipei and 
Kaohsiung mayoral races; and other local political issues.  Nearly 
all papers carried on inside pages remarks by visiting former U.S. 
National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Michael 
Green Tuesday that the controversies over Chen's U.S. transit were 
"turbulence in an airplane ride," which will not affect overall 
Taiwan-U.S. relations.  The pro-unification "United Daily News," 
however, reported Green's remarks from a different perspective; it 
ran a news story on page four that was headlined "Green:  Bush Will 
Criticize Bian Again If Chen Moves Toward De Jure Taiwan 
Independence."  Several papers also reported on results Tuesday of a 
poll conducted by the Taiwan Solidarity Union, which showed that 
Chen's approval rating has dropped to a new low of 5.8 percent, with 
88 percent of respondents dissatisfied with the performance of the 
Chen administration over the past six years. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest daily, criticized 
pan-Blue legislators for wanting to pass the cross-Strait direct 
transportation amendments.  The editorial urged the pan-Blue camp 
not to do anything that would curry favor with China and sell out 
Taiwan.  An opinion piece in the limited-circulation, 
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," however, urged 
the Chen administration to listen to Washington's messages as 
recently delivered by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and 
AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young.  End summary. 
 
A) "Absurdity of 'Pan-Blue Camp's Direct Transportation Bill 
Amendments' As Revealed by 'Trip of Peace and Prosperity'" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (5/17): 
 
"President Chen made successful stop-overs in Libya and Batam, 
Indonesia during his recent overseas trip, which demonstrated 
Taiwan's determination to break its predicament on the diplomatic 
front and to expand its space in the international community. 
Chen's trip deserves Taiwan people's support.  In the meantime, 
however, we have to admit the fact that Taiwan's maneuvering room in 
the international community is shrinking day by day because of 
China's five-decade-long insistence on 'one China.' ... 
 
"This nation belongs to all Taiwan people, and even though its 
ruling party may change, there is only one Taiwan.  This newspaper 
hopes the pan-Blue camp will see through China's 'one China' scheme 
and its attempt not to deal with the Taiwan government directly. 
Convenience for businessmen should never override Taiwan's national 
security and sovereignty, and this paper hopes that [the pan-Blue 
camp] will not do anything to curry favor with Communist China and 
sell out Taiwan. ..." 
 
B) "Nation Must Listen to US Messages" 
 
Edward Chen, a professor in the Graduate Institute of American 
Studies at Tamkang University, opined in the pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (5/17): 
 
"... Bush's move to directly handle Chen's transit issue has echoes 
of US Vice President Dick Cheney's China visit in April 2004, when 
Cheney intimated for the first time that the US and China have a 
consensus on preventing Taiwanese independence.  This consensus was 
extended during the recent meeting between Bush and Chinese 
President Hu Jintao, so that now high-ranking officials in the US 
administration, including Bush himself, will directly intervene at 
crucial points in the cross-strait relationship. ... 
 
"Zoellick's statement is strong for diplomatic language.  The 
underlying meaning is that once Chen breaks a promise, the US will 
use its own way of putting heavy pressure on him and will not allow 
him to cross the US' line of tolerance. ...  Zoellick's talks of 
independence meaning war is a warning to Taiwan not to take any rash 
action.  Young's talks of the benefits of direct cross-strait links 
indicates that the legislative push to establish these links has US 
support.  The government needs to listen to both messages." 
 
YOUNG