VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #2096/01 2550928
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120928Z SEP 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6759
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7245
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 8503

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002096 
 
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.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage September 12 on the UN referendum, on the U.S.-Taiwan 
Defense Industry Conference held in Annapolis Tuesday, on the 
Olympics torch relay route, and on Taiwan's first draft 
"Telecommunication Broadcasting Management Law."  The 
pro-independence "Liberty Times" ran an exclusive banner headline on 
page two that said "The United States Is Now More Capable of 
[Carrying out Its Commitment] to Defend Taiwan."  The same paper 
also ran a news story on page two with the headline "U.S. Deputy 
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs 
Thomas Christensen:  The United States Opposes Taiwan's UN 
Referendum Because It Involves a Change of [Taiwan's] National 
Name." 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times" 
editorial commented on the U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference. 
The article said the conference reminded the island that Taiwan's 
strategic values hinge on its determination and capability to defend 
itself.  A separate "Liberty Times" editorial pointed out that "even 
though Washington opposes Taiwan's UN referendum, it opposes far 
more strongly the People's Republic of China's (possible) invasion 
of Taiwan."  An editorial in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily," on 
the other hand, criticized President Chen Shui-bian for his attempt 
to put the majority Green supporters, the Blue camp, and even the 
United States and China on a short leash by pushing for the UN 
referendum.  End summary. 
 
A) "Taiwan's Strategic Values Hinge on Its Determination and 
Capability to Defend Itself" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] 
editorialized (9/12): 
 
"... Under pressure from the international community, China has 
published its white paper on national defense and has participated 
in the UN's military expense transparency system in a perfunctory 
manner, but still, all these moves have failed to gloss over its 
national defense policy, which is of an offensive nature.  Taiwan 
poses no military threat to China for now, but China, in return, has 
deployed nearly a thousand missiles targeting Taiwan.  China's 
proactive efforts to strengthen the weapons it would use to launch 
sea and air attacks against Taiwan alone are sufficient to reveal 
China's lie that its national defense is of a defensive nature. 
Besides, [Chinese President] Hu Jintao said immediately after his 
meeting with [U.S. President George W.] Bush at APEC that 'the next 
two years will be a highly dangerous period for the cross-Strait 
situation.'  Isn't such a statement typical saber-rattling 
rhetoric? 
 
"Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait serve the common 
interests of the international community, and Taiwan's security is 
thus the focus of attention of the world.  This illustrates the 
general climate, in which China dares not run the risks of attacking 
Taiwan.  But Taiwan's stalling in passing the arms procurements 
budget and its moves to open investments in China proactively have 
constantly given the world the wrong impression, making the 
international community believe that the Taiwan people lack the 
determination to defend themselves.  The 'U.S.-Taiwan Defense 
Industry Conference' provides a good opportunity which reminds us 
that [our] demonstration of the determination to defend ourselves 
and our efforts to strengthen the self-defense capabilities are 
exactly where Taiwan's strategic values lie.  Both the ruling and 
opposition parties must view them as our top priority." 
 
B) "Taiwan Is By No Means Part of the People's Republic of China" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] 
editorialized (9/11): 
 
"... [Chinese President] Hu Jintao said Monday after his meeting 
with U.S. President George W. Bush in Sydney, Australia, that Bush 
had reiterated to him his opposition to any alteration in the status 
quo across the Taiwan Strait.  What is the status quo in the Taiwan 
Strait?  Isn't it [the fact] that 'Taiwan is an independent 
sovereign state, which is independent of the reign of the People's 
Republic of China (PRC)'?  Bush's reiteration was consistent with 
Washington's [position stated in its] formal letter to the UN 
Secretariat:  Namely, Taiwan is not part of the PRC.  It is thus 
 
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clear that even though Washington opposes our referenda to join or 
rejoin the UN, it opposes far more strongly the PRC's invasion of 
Taiwan. 
 
"'Taiwan and China are each a country on either side [of the Taiwan 
Strait]' is the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.  Today, what 
lies clearly ahead of us is the fact that it is the PRC that has 
been bent on altering the cross-Strait status quo.  In order to 
realize its dream of the 'one China Empire,' Beijing has resorted to 
all the means it can to change the status quo of 'Taiwan being an 
independent sovereign state' and the status quo of 'Taiwan being 
 
independent of the reign of the PRC.'  We hope that the United 
States can see [from China's attempts] that Taiwan's efforts in 
pushing for name change, writing of a new constitution and its UN 
bid are nothing but self-defense moves to prevent the island from 
being annexed by China and thus changing the status quo.  It is 
China that is the real troublemaker!" 
 
C) "Bian Is Good at Putting Others on a Short Leash" 
 
The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 540,000] 
editorialized (9/12): 
 
"... President Chen told the World Federation of Taiwanese 
Associations in Japan during a video-conference Monday that Taiwan 
has to be independent, rectify its name, write a new constitution 
and enter the UN.  An overwhelming majority of the Taiwan people 
will support what Chen called for as long as such an objective is 
not achieved at the expense of their lives and property.  But two 
preconditions made us doubt the truth and viability of [Chen's 
objectives]:  First, China will surely intervene with these 
objectives by use of force, and the United States will refuse to 
send troops to help defend Taiwan citing the excuse that Taiwan has 
unilaterally and proactively altered the cross-Strait status quo. 
Second, A-Bian has used such a sacred agenda as a campaign tool so 
many times that he has thus denigrated the sacredness of the agenda, 
which, as a result, no longer has the charm to attract people.  The 
Taiwan independence ideal, which has been manipulated by Bian so 
constantly, is no longer respected or trusted by the Taiwan people. 
...  Bian has been working with a small group of Green stalwarts to 
put others on a short leash; the minority has put the Green 
majority, the Blue camp, Ma Ying-jeou, and even the United States 
and China on a short leash. ...  What's even more outrageous is that 
he has put his party's presidential candidate Frank Hsieh on a short 
leash as well.  Hsieh is now in a condition that he can neither 
support nor oppose Chen; Hsieh is at a loss of what to do and can 
only allow himself to be oppressed by Bian. ..." 
 
WANG