VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0789/01 1000944
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100944Z APR 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4814
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6616
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7868

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000789 
 
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: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, IRAQ 
 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave front-page 
coverage April 10 to the Executive Yuan's disciplinary action 
against the National Communications Commission (NCC) Monday by 
suspending two of its commissioners pending an investigation.  News 
coverage also focused on the 2008 presidential elections and other 
local issues.  In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial 
in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" bluntly pointed out that the 
United States should no longer demand from Taiwan the "Four Nos and 
One Without" pledge, because such a request has caused irretrievable 
damage to Taiwan's security and interests.  An op-ed piece in the 
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" discussed the possible strategy Taiwan should adopt in an 
attempt to secure a free trade agreement with the United States.  A 
column in the pro-status quo "China Times," on the other hand, 
discussed the current situation in Iraq and said the United States 
has paid a very high price in launching the war against Iraq.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. U.S.-Taiwan Relations 
 
A) "The United States Should Not Demand the Ridiculous 'Four Nos and 
One Without' Pledge [from Taiwan] Any More" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 500,000] 
editorialized (4/10): 
 
"... More importantly, even though the United States regards the 
'Four Nos and One Without' pledge as a keystone for peace in the 
Taiwan Strait and therefore hopes that future DPP presidential 
candidates will be able to adhere to such a [policy] direction, the 
source of instability in the Taiwan Strait lies in reality in China 
rather than in Taiwan.  The United States is incapable of 
restraining China and, instead, it hopes for Taiwan to be resigned 
to its fate.  This move is no different from conniving with the 
unreasonable demands of a strong power, and it will severely 
endanger [the United States'] righteous image, which was clearly 
demonstrated when Washington went to extreme lengths to launch the 
war on terrorism by waging wars against Afghanistan and Iraq. 
Likewise, imposing pressure on its long-term ally of the same 
democratic camp just to curry favor with a hegemony that remains 
under totalitarian rule also runs counter to the United States' 
founding spirit of upholding democracy and freedom.  In other words, 
as Taiwan is about to start campaigning for its next presidential 
elections, not only is it inappropriate for the United States to 
pressure, in the name of offering consultations, the future DPP 
presidential candidate to continue adhering to the Four Nos and One 
Without pledge, but Washington should also thoroughly reflect on the 
irretrievable damage this pledge has done to Taiwan's security and 
interests.  The United States must decisively abandon such a 
mistaken cross-Strait policy so as to be able truly to secure peace 
in the Taiwan Strait." 
 
B) "Developing a Strategy for an FTA with the US" 
 
Tsai Horng-ming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese National 
 
SIPDIS 
Federation of Industries, opined in the pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (4/10): 
 
"The US recently concluded a free-trade agreement (FTA) with South 
Korea. ...  In fact, the agreement will have a domino effect. 
Regional economic integration will become the major strategy for 
countries to strengthen their economic competitiveness and attract 
foreign investment.  As for Taiwan, China's macroeconomic 
development strategy and the 'one China' principle have had a 
negative effect on Taiwan's participation in the process of regional 
integration.  Facing Chinese obstructionism, the manner in which 
Taipei enters FTA negotiations with Washington will be of utmost 
importance.  This strategy can use the WTO's legal system and 
institutions to develop the FTA with the US. ... 
 
"For its part, Taiwan can use its own prestige in areas such as 
economic liberty, market openness and geopolitical status as trading 
chips to highlight the value of regional trade investment.  A 
Taiwan-US FTA would support the formation of an APEC-wide FTA, from 
which regional development could ensue.  To demonstrate its 
political will to the US, Taiwan must offer a comprehensive economic 
liberalization plan and adopt a more realistic strategy to overcome 
political obstacles.  Giving more importance to creating a trade and 
investment framework in which Taiwan and the US can evolve would be 
a way to achieve this. ...  The nation needs to build the 
communication mechanism whereby it can enter into talks with US 
entrepreneurs in favor of a Taiwan-US FTA." 
 
¶3. Iraq 
 
"Four Years after Saddam Hussein's Statue Was Pulled Down" 
 
The "International Outlook" column in the pro-status quo "China 
Times" [circulation: 400,000] noted (4/10): 
 
 
"On the same day four years ago, U.S. soldiers succeeded in 
capturing Baghdad, in which a statue of Saddam Hussein in the 
downtown area was pulled down.  Washington said it had liberated 
Iraq.  But how does Iraq look today?  According to the statistics 
published by the U.S. media last week, the current situation of the 
Iraqi people is as follows:  655,000 Iraqi civilians have died; 1.9 
million refugees are wandering from place to place in Iraq, whereas 
2 million Iraqi refugees have fled mostly to neighboring countries 
such as Syria and Jordan.  In Syria alone there are 1.2 million 
Iraqi refugees.  A United Nations statistic report also showed that 
domestic chaos and incessant small civil battles [in Iraq] have 
generated around 5 million orphans.  All these are caused just 
because the Bush administration of the United States said it wanted 
to attack Iraq as the country was in possession of weapons of mass 
destruction.  Now it proves that this is nothing but nonsense. ... 
 
"The United States itself also paid a price: 3,200 dead American 
soldiers, most of whom did not die in formal combat.  The costs of 
this war will certainly exceed those of any war in U.S. history. ... 
 What's worse is that no one can tell when and how this tragedy will 
come to an end.  It is even worse that the war on Iraq has generated 
the nuclear crisis in Iran (this country would not have stayed 
fearless until now without the war on Iraq), and the Iranian nuclear 
crisis is a more severe problem than Iraq. ..." 
 
WANG