VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0243 0310921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 310921Z JAN 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3943
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6310
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7541

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000243 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - LLOYD NEIGHBORS 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN'S POLITICS 
 
 
Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
coverage January 31 on the debt-ridden Rebar Asia Pacific Group, on 
the year-end legislators' election and the 2008 presidential 
elections, and on the launch of "Windows Vista," Microsoft's latest 
operating system.  In terms of editorials and commentaries, an 
editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's 
largest-circulation daily, discussed the island's bid to join the 
United Nations under the name of Taiwan.  The article said the goal 
to push for Taiwan's UN bid is not to seek to build Taiwan into an 
independent country but to transform it into a normal country.  An 
editorial in the pro-unification "United Daily News," on the other 
hand, discussed President Chen Shui-bian's recent remarks on the 
sixtieth anniversary of the February 28 Incident and on Taiwan's new 
constitution.  The article said Chen and his party have already 
picked the themes for this year's political agenda, which will be 
manipulated to help the DPP win the presidential elections in 2008. 
 End summary. 
 
A) "To Push for the Campaign of 'Taiwan's UN Bid'" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 550,000] 
editorialized (1/31): 
 
"... Some people believe that the island's bid to join the United 
Nations under the name of Taiwan is a move to provoke the People's 
Republic of China.  In reality, however, to join the UN under the 
name of the Republic of China is a seriously provocative move for 
the PRC, because it would mean the island is vying with China for UN 
membership.  It would violate the one China principle on which the 
PRC firmly insists even if Taiwan seeks to join the UN as a general 
member under the name of Republic of China.  In any case, the door 
of the UN will never be open to Taiwan if it insists on using the 
name Republic of China. ... 
 
"... A nativist regime has been built [in Taiwan], with the end of 
the Chiang Ching-kuo regime, the holding of popular votes for 
Taiwan's presidents, and the transfer of political power.  This 
process of democratic reform indicated that the Taiwan people have 
used their will to build the island into an independent sovereign 
state...  It is a great pity that, for internal and external 
reasons, Taiwan is not a normal country yet, even though it is 
already an independent, sovereign nation.  Over recent years, 
knowledgeable people have been striving for campaigns such as 
rectifying Taiwan's name, writing a new constitution, and Taiwan's 
bidding on [a seat in the]UN.  Their goal was not to build Taiwan 
into an independent country, as others claimed, but to transform the 
island into a normal country. ..." 
 
B) "Chen Shui-bian's Bogus Propositions: February 28 Incident and 
Campaign for [Taiwan's] New Constitution" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (1/31): 
 
"It seems that Chen Shui-bian and the DPP have already picked the 
themes for this year's political agenda:  one is to commemorate the 
sixtieth anniversary of the February 28 Incident, and the other is 
to promote the campaign for [Taiwan's] new constitution.  These two 
themes will intertwine and echo each other all the way to the 
presidential elections slated for March 2008. ...  The DPP's wishful 
thinking was that manipulating such a 'leitmotif' full of clashes, 
chaos, hatred and painful remembrance will be able to cover up, 
twist and marginalize other issues [that are of direct interest to 
the Taiwan people].  Thus, even though the new constitution may 
remain unfinished and people may continue to mourn the February 28 
Incident, the DPP may have secured a victory for the 2008 
presidential elections amid conflict and painful remembrance. 
 
"The political signal Chen and the DPP have received and interpreted 
from the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections at the end of last 
year was not that they need to reform and pursue clean government 
but that they can lean toward and embrace the deep-Green stalwarts 
and manipulate campaigning schemes without hesitation.  To 
commemorate the February 28 Incident and to push for a new 
constitution are exactly moves to return to the deep Green area; one 
can hardly sense an ambiance of a 'middle-of-the-road' line. ..." 
 
 
YOUNG