VZCZCXYZ0037
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #2110/01 1710757
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200757Z JUN 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0765
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5332
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 6540

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002110 
 
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-TAIWAN RELATIONS, RECALL OF 
PRESIDENT CHEN SHUI-BIAN 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage June 20 on President Chen Shui-bian's decision to deliver a 
televised speech Tuesday evening in response to the recall motion; 
the pan-Blue camp's moves to bring Chen down; further investigations 
into the alleged role of First Lady Wu Shu-chen in the Sogo 
Department Store ownership case; and a local train 
accident-turned-murder case.  The pro-status quo "China Times" ran a 
front-page banner headline that said "Reporting to the People But 
Not Taking Questions, Bian Will Deliver Monologue Today, While Ma 
Will Challenge Tomorrow."  The pro-independence "Liberty Times," 
Taiwan's biggest daily, ran a banner headline on page two that read 
"Reporting to the People, Bian Will Appear on TV This Evening to 
Counterattack against Reasons for Recall Motion." The 
pro-unification "United Daily News" front-paged "Pan-Blue Camp Will 
Speed up No-Confidence Motion After It Fails to Recall Chen." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News" criticized China's move to promote "peace" in international 
affairs, saying it cannot veil Beijing's expansionism.  An editorial 
in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, 
English-language "China Post" said U.S. war games in Guam are 
Washington's response to China's rapid rise.  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times," on the other hand, criticized the pan-Blue camp's recall 
motion, saying it only "demonstrated to the general public what a 
bitter, hateful bunch they really are."   End summary. 
 
¶3. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations 
 
A) "U.S.-China in Sync on Taiwan" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] wrote in an editorial (6/20): 
 
"For the first time, China's military has a 10-member observation 
team at a massive U.S. war game launched yesterday in Guam, the 
newly reinforced American base close to Asia's likely trouble spots. 
 The long-standing danger of Taiwan becoming a reason to go to war 
against China has prompted a broad U.S. military realignment in 
recent years.  The Guam base is America's response to China's rapid 
rise.... 
 
"Beijing is ready to subscribe to the U.S. designation that Taiwan 
is 'a self-ruled democratic Chinese non-state beyond Beijing's 
jurisdiction.'  And the U.S. has shown greater readiness to comply 
with Chinese wishes on Taiwan: no FTA pact, no military 
collaboration, no high-profile visit to the U.S. and no membership 
in the United Nations and the World Health Organization.  As long as 
Taiwan calls itself the diplomatically non-existent Republic of 
China, Beijing will not force reunification with the island.  As 
Taiwan's mentor and protector for six decades, the U.S. has the 
power and need to guarantee that.  With Taiwan's independence 
movement restrained, cross-strait tensions can be defused and the 
island's economic prospects will brighten up rapidly." 
 
B) "'Peace' Cannot Veil PRC Expansionism" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (6/20): 
 
"... In the past two years, 'peace' has been added to Beijing's 
diplomatic recipes in the wake of concerns over China's development 
into a regional economic and military powerhouse.  In stark 
contradiction with its aggressive expansion of its military forces 
and its continued build-up of offensive forces directed at Taiwan, 
China is energetically flying the banner of 'peace,' one of the 
world's paramount universal values. ... 
 
"It is widely believed that Beijing's touting of the concept of 
'peace comprises a 'defensive' concept against the United States, 
which remains the world's only superpower.  In response to China's 
projection of military force through its drive to build a 
'sea-going' naval force with aircraft carriers and advanced 
conventional and nuclear submarines and its regional 
alliance-building, the U.S. is now devoting more attention to Asia. 
Washington is thus quietly working to bolster its own web of 
alliances with Northeast Asia's Japan, South Korea and, to a certain 
extent, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in Southeast 
Asia, India and Pakistan in South Asia and even into Central Asia. 
Hence, if China cannot enhance the transparency of its military 
build-up, deployments and strategic purpose, Beijing's efforts to 
organize regional blocks or alliances will create more tension even 
though the ostensive intention is to project a benign image. ..." 
 
¶4.  Recall of President Chen Shui-bian 
 
"Pan-Blue Recall Bid a Sick Joke" 
 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (6/20): 
 
"It's about time that the pan-blue camp realized what damage it is 
doing to Taiwan and put an end to its ridiculous efforts to recall 
the president. ...  But the saddest thing about this whole recall 
affair is that it has cruelly exposed Ma's weak position.  Many 
fence-sitting Taiwanese must have had high hopes for Ma and the KMT 
after he swept to the chairmanship last year on promises of clean 
politics and party reform. ...  By letting himself be press-ganged 
into supporting the recall bid, Ma has shown that the same deep-blue 
elements that cannot stand to see Taiwan ruled by a pro-localization 
regime still hold the KMT's reins of power.  It has become 
increasingly clear that they will stop at nothing in their bid to 
oust the president, even if it means creating more division in 
Taiwan's already deeply-split society.  The high threshold required 
to recall the president means that their bid has been doomed from 
the start, and the pan-blue camp is well aware of this.  They have 
only further demonstrated to the general public what a bitter, 
hateful bunch they really are." 
 
KEEGAN