VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1954/01 2391008
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271008Z AUG 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6535
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7169
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 8424

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001954 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage August 25-27 on President Chen Shui-bian's trip to Central 
America; on the 2008 presidential election; on the investigation 
into the explosion of a China Airlines passenger jet in Okinawa last 
Monday; and on the future prospects of Taiwan's travel business. 
The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" ran a banner headline on 
page four August 26 that read "The United States Has Reportedly 
Instigated [Taiwan's Allies] to Oppose [Taiwan's] UN Bid; Bian Is in 
Central America to Secure [Allies'] Support." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times" said the fundamental reason behind 
the fact that Washington offered a dissatisfactory arrangement for 
President Chen Shui-bian's transit this time is because Taiwan has 
yet to become a normal country.  The article thus urged Taiwan to 
become a new country via holding referenda, the name-change campaign 
and writing of a new constitution, so that it can enter the 
international community under the name "Taiwan" in a majestic 
manner.  A "China Times" editorial, however, criticized President 
Chen for overspending Taiwan's diplomatic resources by taking 
advantage of the United States' goodwill towards Taiwan.  An 
editorial in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
lamented that Chen has missed his chance to speak up his protest -- 
namely, Chen should have held an outdoor press conference rather 
than remaining in his plane when transiting Alaska.  A separate 
"Taipei Times" op-ed called for high-level U.S.-Taiwan dialogue to 
clear up all miscommunications and misperceptions between the two 
sides.  An editorial in the conservative, pro-unification, 
English-language "China Post" said the "right reaction to President 
Chen's referendum plan is to ignore it" as it will come to nothing 
in the end.  End summary. 
 
A) "Only With [Holding] Referenda, Name Change, and Writing a New 
Constitution Can [Taiwan] Enter the International Organization in a 
Majestic Manner" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] 
editorialized (8/25): 
 
"President Chen Shui-bian set out for a visit to Taiwan's allies in 
Central and South America.  While transiting Alaska for refueling, 
Chen remained in his plane and told the U.S. representative who 
received him that the transit arrangement this time was 
inconvenient, uncomfortable and undignified.  Chen protested [the 
U.S. treatment] by not wearing his jacket and tie but a 'UN for 
Taiwan: Peace for All' sticker on his shirt.  Such a dissatisfactory 
transit arrangement was obviously a consequence of [Chen's] push for 
the 'UN referendum,' and its fundamental reason was because Taiwan 
has yet to become a normal country.  As a result, high-level 
interactions between Taiwan and the United States cannot proceed as 
normal diplomatic practices and thus must be dealt with on a 
case-by-case basis, which would constantly be affected by chance 
occurrences.  All these are unfair for Taiwan. 
 
"During a recent interview with the BBC, however, Chen pointed out 
that Taiwan is already an independent country, and there is thus no 
need [for it] to make a further declaration.  Even so, judging from 
the treatment Chen received when transiting Alaska, at least the 
United States does not acknowledge that Taiwan is already an 
independent country.  Based on the 'Taiwan Relations Act,' the 
United States 'regards' Taiwan as a country simply for the sake of 
expedience. ... 
 
"The issue concerning Taiwan's declaration of independence, as 
mentioned by the BBC host, happens to have pointed to the matter 
that China and the international community care about most -- 
namely, the matter of 'Taiwan' becoming 'the country of Taiwan.' 
Taiwan will become a new country if we discard the system of the 
Republic of China via holding referenda, the name-change campaign 
and the writing of a new constitution.  Should that happen, 
regardless of whether other countries recognize Taiwan immediately, 
one instant effect will be that Beijing's one-China principle will 
no longer be able to fetter Taiwan.  This is because the springboard 
of Beijing using its one-China principle to declare that Taiwan is 
part of China, namely, the ROC, has totally vanished. ..." 
 
B) "[Chen's] Visit this Time Has Expedited [the Process of] 
Overspending [Taiwan's] Diplomatic Resources" 
 
The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] 
(8/27): 
 
"... [President Chen's] visit to El Salvador, Honduras, and 
Nicaragua this time is no longer for enjoying gun-salute and 
red-carpet [treatment] but for an urgent need to cement Taiwan's 
foreign relations.  From the very beginning, Chen's trip this time 
was shrouded by two sorts of shadow:  First, Chen's insistence on 
pushing for a referendum on Taiwan's UN bid has done severe damage 
to Taiwan-U.S. relations and triggered the U.S.'s retaliation; 
 
second, Costa Rica switched recognition to Beijing, and [Taiwan's] 
diplomatic tectonic plate in Central America is being eroded.  The 
two kinds of shadow have both created unprecedented serious crises 
for Taiwan.  But a close look at Chen's behavior indicated that he 
evidently shows no interest in mending Taiwan-U.S. relations, and 
for the island's allies in Central America, Chen simply wrote checks 
to secure their relations for the time being. ... 
 
"Many times in the past, Chen had taken advantage of the United 
States' goodwill toward Taiwan and used his transits of America to 
build up his own momentum.  Now Chen has offended the United States 
which, in return, decided to 'attack Chen by exploiting his 
weakness' and to punish him by downgrading the treatment for his 
transits. ...  Chen himself claimed that he is 'enduring humiliation 
just to perform his duty,' but in reality, he is asking for 
humiliation himself; he was even trying to play the underdog to win 
sympathy, creating an image of him suffering humiliation for the 
entire island.  Indeed, Taiwan-U.S. relations are no longer an issue 
that Chen finds it necessary to ponder. ... 
 
C) "Chen Misses His Chance to Bat" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (8/25): 
 
"President Chen Shui-bian's decision to stay on his aircraft during 
his stopover in Alaska in protest at his treatment by the US 
government is not without precedent. Former president Lee Teng-hui 
did the same in the mid-1990s to voice his objection to the limited 
itinerary that had been offered to him during a tour of the nation's 
allies in the region.  Unfortunately, Chen's 'no feet on US soil' 
boycott did not have the impact he would have liked, and certainly 
was not as theatrical as Lee's effort.  When the US State Department 
has the cards stacked against you, sometimes there can be more 
effective ways to milk a media event than sitting in a plane and 
sulking. 
 
"Holding an outdoor press conference testing the limits of 
restrictions on Chen's speech would have been preferable -- and 
would have had the added advantage of a potentially spectacular icy 
mountain backdrop to remind viewers of just how much Chen and Taiwan 
have been left out in the cold, both diplomatically and 
strategically.  This would have been especially significant 
considering that Taiwan's enemies in the US government -- not to 
mention across the Taiwan Strait -- would have been delighted to see 
Chen stay cooped up in first class rather than walking freely into 
The Last Frontier. ..." 
 
D) "High-level US-Taiwan Dialogue Is Necessary" 
 
Liu Kuan-teh, a Taipei-based political commentator, opined in the 
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] (8/27): 
 
"As expected, the administration of US President George W. Bush took 
the opportunity to punish President Chen Shui-bian during his 
transit in the US en route to the nation's diplomatic allies in 
Central America. The reason for this, without any doubt, lies in 
Chen's insistence on pushing for a referendum on using the name 
"Taiwan" to apply for membership in the UN. ...  Despite stressing 
its respect for Taiwan's democracy and people, there is a clear 
tendency from the Bush administration to separate them from Chen and 
his own political agenda. If this is the case, more punishment can 
be expected if Taipei and Washington fail to come up with a way to 
talk. 
 
"Punishing Chen while not defying the US' commitment to Taiwanese 
democracy constitutes the main element of such a strategy. The US 
seems to be looking forward to dealing with the next Taiwanese 
president -- hopefully someone the US perceives as rational and 
cooperative.  In his conversation with Brown, Chen suggested Bush 
send a special envoy from either the State Department or the 
Department of Defense to engage in face-to-face dialogue with him in 
Taipei.  Such a scenario implies that the current channels of the 
AIT and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Washington do not 
function well.  It also suggests that the US bureaucracy that 
handles affairs with Taiwan might be providing insufficient or 
prejudiced opinions on the real situation in Taiwan. ... 
 
"There is no doubt that most people in Washington think Chen is a 
'trouble-maker.' They see Chen's push for Taiwanese independence -- 
through holding a referendum, introducing a new constitution and 
listing the so-called 'four wants and one without' -- as needless 
provocation of China. The US does not want to be dragged into 
cross-strait conflicts.  From the US viewpoint, Chen seems to be 
taking the country's assistance for granted. Washington increasingly 
sees Chen as an irresponsible politician who cares only about 
elections and fails to appreciate the difficulty of the US position. 
 
 
"The key miscommunications and misperceptions come largely from the 
timing and judgment of the rhetoric even if the underlying policies 
being adopted by the Chen administration are in line with its course 
toward democratic consolidation.  Therefore, what's important now is 
to seek an opportunity for direct and high-level dialogue between 
Taipei and Washington. There is still room for both sides to 
straighten things out or to come up with a mutually acceptable 
solution. Political punishment on transit treatment is not helpful 
for future talks." 
 
E) "Why Worry about U.N. Plan?" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (8/27): 
 
"... Of course, President Chen knows that full well.  He doesn't 
care whether Taiwan can join the United Nations.  He cares about how 
his move can be translated into votes for candidates of his party in 
the January and March elections and, in particular, his party's 
victory's in the presidential race on which hinges his fate after 
next May 20. ...  Beijing has a Taiwan phobia.  Every action 
President Chen takes is interpreted as a move towards Taiwan 
independence or separatism.  We must remind Chinese leaders that 
whatever he may do will come to naught anyway.  So long as China has 
the veto power, Taiwan has no chance whatsoever to join the United 
Nations.  The referendum?  The Chinese should deem it a farce.  They 
should sit back to enjoy it, knowing that all the time it would end 
to their amused satisfaction. ... 
 
"Washington, on the other hand, has reason to be angry, because 
President Chen has taken back his word.  President George W. Bush 
shouldn't be too angry, though, for it's not the first time Chen has 
reneged.  Remember how Chen maneuvered to have the National 
Unification Council 'cease to function' only early last year?  Chen 
promised Bush not to scrap the said council, which was rendered 
defunct.  And Bush can do little to whip Chen into line, now that 
the latter has less than ten months of his second and last term 
left. ...  The right reaction to President Chen's referendum plan is 
to ignore it.  Clear-thinking men and women in Taiwan regard it as a 
stupid referendum.  It's an insult to their Homo sapiens 
intelligence to be asked to voice yes or no on the question of 
Taiwan's U.N. bid.  Internationally, what Chen is doing should be 
interpreted as a petty megalomaniac at his wits' end taking his last 
sleepwalk." 
 
YOUNG