VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3628/01 2971048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241048Z OCT 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2731
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5820
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7035

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003628 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS, U.S.-TAIWAN 
RELATIONS 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies put their focus 
October 24 on the follow-on movements of the "Oust Bian" campaign; 
on the year-end Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races; on the Center 
for Disease Control's decision Monday to suspend the use of flu 
vaccines from a French company following the reported death of four 
Israelis after injections of the vaccines; and on cross-Strait 
medical and agricultural exchanges.  The pro-independence "Liberty 
Times," Taiwan's largest-circulation daily, is the only paper that 
covered a Bloomberg interview with KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou Monday; 
the story was run with a banner headline on page two that said "If 
Victorious in the 2008 [Election], Ma Wants to Sign [Deal] with 
China Using No Independence in Exchange for No Use of Force." 
Several papers also reported on inside pages that the U.S. arms 
procurement bill will be blocked in the Legislative Yuan again today 
until the prosecutor closes the Presidential allowance for state 
affairs case. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" 
editorial criticized KMT Chairman Ma's proposed deal with China 
should his party wins the 2008 presidential election, as reported in 
an interview with Bloomberg.  The article lashed out at Ma for using 
Taiwan's sovereignty as a tribute to curry favor with China.  An 
editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification, 
English-language "China Post," however, discussed Taiwan's role as a 
"revisionist power" and said "the market for Taiwan independence is 
fast shrinking at home and abroad."  An editorial in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan 
News," on the other hand, urged Taiwan to boost substantive ties 
with the United States.  End summary. 
 
¶3. Cross-Strait Relations 
 
A) "Question for Ma Ying-jeou: How Can Taiwan's Sovereignty Be Used 
as Tribute to China?" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000] 
editorialized (10/24): 
 
"KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou said during an interview with Bloomberg 
that [his party] will negotiate a peace agreement with China by 2012 
if it wins the presidential election in 2008. ...  Sources said the 
cross-Strait peace agreement, as Ma claims, will ensure Taiwan's 
security from attack from China in exchange for a guarantee that the 
island will not seek independence; and a precondition for the deal 
is that China remove the 800 missiles it has been targeting at 
Taiwan.  According to Ma, the peace deal will not include ultimate 
unification [with China], which will be decided by Taiwan's 23 
million people and could only be achieved after China has evolved 
into a country of freedom, democracy and prosperity. 
 
"This paper has analyzed many times that Taiwan's so-called 
guarantee that it will not declare independence in exchange for 
China's assurance that it will not use force [against the island] is 
basically an uneven barter, because such a deal will in reality 
sacrifice Taiwan's sovereignty while China's one-China principle 
remains intact.  If Taiwan guarantees that it will not declare 
independence, there will be only one option - the one-China 
principle - left for both sides of the Taiwan Strait.  Do the Taiwan 
people need Ma to sign a contract that sells out Taiwan?  It is 
evident that Ma's national identity has deviated from Taiwan, as Ma 
shows particular interest in a deal that is very unfavorable for the 
island. ... 
 
"... If Ma wants China to guarantee that it will not use force 
[against Taiwan], it should be a guarantee without any conditions. 
Ma should [do so] by urging the international community to impose 
pressure [on China], and by strengthening Taiwan's defense 
capability.  But Ma obviously does not intend to do so; instead, he 
plans to use Taiwan's national sovereignty as a tribute to curry 
favor with China and to ask the latter not to use force against 
Taiwan.  This is called surrender rather than peace. ..." 
 
B) "Taiwan a Revisionist Power" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (10/24): 
 
"... Taiwan is also a revisionist power because of the separatism 
and anti-China stance of President Chen Shui-bian and the Democratic 
Progressive Party (DPP) after their rise to power in the 2000 
democratic transfer of government.  Ironically, rising China, the 
potential challenge to America's sole superpower status, is a 
serious promoter of status quo and stability in the Taiwan Strait 
and elsewhere.  'Indeed, China is easier to deal with today than 
ever before.  The United States needs a policy to contend with 
China's ability to destabilize Asia, not a policy to deal with a 
future hegemony.  China is a revisionist power, but for the 
foreseeable future it will seek to maintain the status quo.'  That's 
RELATIONS 
 
the observation of Robert S. Ross, professor of political science at 
Boston College and a research associate at the John King Fairbank 
Center for East Asian Research at Harvard University. ... 
 
"The market for Taiwan independence is fast shrinking at home and 
abroad; it only serves to isolate the island further.  Chen must go 
sooner or later and the DPP is declining rapidly.  Before revising 
its independence charter, the party has little chance of winning 
majority support." 
 
¶4. U.S.-Taiwan Relations 
 
"Taiwan Must Boost Substantive U.S. Ties" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (10/24): 
 
"Despite the close historical ties between Taiwan and the United 
States and their shared democratic values, it cannot be denied that 
the mutual relationship between Taipei and Washington has been rocky 
in recent years.  The Republican Party administration of U.S. 
President George W. Bush has given Washington too many surprises in 
cross-Strait issues with the hostile People's Republic of China. 
Moreover, Washington officials have repeatedly voiced their view 
that the failure to implement a proposed procurement of three 
advanced defensive weapon systems shows Taiwan's refusal to accept 
responsibility for defense of the country. 
 
"On the other hand, many of Taiwan's citizens feel that Washington 
has violated its principles as leader of the world's democratic 
community by attempting to unilaterally suppress the voices of 
Taiwan's people and by standing in the way of our deepening 
democracy and emergence as a 'normal country' and an active 
participant in the world community.  Despite such differences, it is 
essential for leaders of both sides, regardless of party 
affiliation, to see beyond short-term tensions to realize their 
common interests in facing the potential dangers involved in the 
economic and military rise of an authoritarian China into a major 
regional and world power.  Above all, since Taiwan's democratic 
society directly confronts the most threatening aspect of an 
expansionist PRC, and the U.S. is the only world power with the 
capability and willingness to help Taiwan defend itself, it is 
incumbent on Taiwan to enhance substantive ties with the U.S. ... 
 
"Taiwan's top diplomatic priority thus remains to be the deepening 
of ties with the United States and re-examination of its current 
strategy, especially as Washington nears the arrival of the 
post-Bush era. ...  Second, Taiwan's policy makers need to intensify 
efforts to help counterparts in the U.S. realize that the status quo 
of the Taiwan Strait has already been changed dramatically by 
factors such as the over 800 missiles and other offensive forces 
Beijing has aimed at Taiwan. ...  Despite its contributions to 
regional security, the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act is inadequate to 
cope with these new realities.  Moreover, our diplomats should do 
more to help the U.S. realize that Taiwan is a democratic society 
and that its government should not always be criticized by 
Washington, especially by civic or political groups, about 
constitutional or legal reforms that aim to consolidate and deepen 
our democracy or for even proposing our entry into the United 
Nations. ...  Third, another reason Taiwan's government should pay 
even more attention to cultivating relations with state governments 
in the U.S. is that they are also being intensely wooed by Beijing. 
Fourth, as noted above, Taiwan's most crucial political battleground 
may well be in the U.S. Congress, especially in the House of 
Representatives. ..." 
 
YOUNG