VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #2338/01 2890730
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 160730Z OCT 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7147
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7358
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 8639

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 002338 
 
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: CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY CONGRESS, 
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL TO DALAI LAMA 
 
 
Summary: News coverage of Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies 
focused on a variety of local issues over the weekend. Among the 
stories were reports on the former Taiwan National Security Bureau 
agent Isabelle Cheng, who allegedly had an affair with former U.S. 
State Department official Donald Keyser. Keyser was convicted for 
unauthorized possession of classified documents. Cheng told the 
press the Keyser case was made up by the Taiwan and U.S. media. In 
editorials and commentaries, the pro-independence "Liberty Times" 
and the conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
discussed the upcoming 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress. 
Meanwhile, the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
commented on Beijing's reaction to the Congressional medal to Dalai 
Lama. End summary. 
 
A) "The 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress Will Still Be Power 
Struggle Stage for Dictators" 
 
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000] 
editorialized (10/15): 
 
"... This time the 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress will be 
held in the context that China has risen up to become a huge world 
economic power. But the many problems brought about by rapid 
economic development, such as environmental degradation, corruption, 
human rights violations ... need to be resolved. Otherwise, if any 
conflict or antagonism breaks out, it is not improbable that China 
might collapse overnight. However, the congress put its emphasis on 
the high-ranking party reshuffle. That is, to treat the party 
congress as a stage for power struggle, while failing to come up 
with any effective solutions to the serious existential crises 
facing China. 
 
"As a result, the party congress will not be able to reach a 
satisfactory conclusion either power-wise or policy-wise. It will 
lose in both aspects...." 
 
B) "A Watershed Congress" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (10/13): 
 
"The Chinese Communist Party will hold its 17th party congress next 
week in Beijing to chart the future course of China's development in 
the next five years. In a sense, the meeting of the CCP's 17th 
Central Committee can be viewed as a watershed congress as the 
country is entering a new era of development that faces new 
challenges in economic, political, and social areas. 
 
"Twenty-nine years after the reform and opening-up initiated by Deng 
Xiaoping in 1978, mainland China's economy is at a crossroads: 
whether to keep pursuing a 'GDP'ism' that has resulted in a tenfold 
increase in gross domestic product at the expense of the 
environment. The economic prosperity brought about by the explosive, 
double-digit GDP growth has also produced the problem of an uneven 
distribution of wealth, creating widespread discontent among the 
poor and disadvantaged. 
 
"... In the area of politics, the paramount issue is political 
reform, which has been too slow and too little. The opening-up 
should include relaxation of control on the press, religion and 
human rights. It is apparent that mainland China's political reform 
has lagged far behind its economic progress. The key to the reform 
is political democratization, administrative transparency, and 
judicial independence. 
 
"... Will the issue of Taiwan come up? Surely, especially when 
President Chen Shui-bian is heightening his separatist activities by 
trying to change the country's official name, a move regarded by 
Beijing, and Washington as well, as a step toward de jure 
independence that Beijing has threatened to use force to prevent. 
The congress won't sit idly by on the issue...." 
 
C) "A Cautious Beijing, Despite the Slap" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (10/14): 
 
"Last week, Beijing lashed out over the U.S. Congressional Gold 
Medal awarded to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, 
calling the award 'interference in China's internal affairs.' 
 
"... With China so focused on preparing for the Olympic Games next 
year, these public condemnations are insufficient, in and of 
themselves, to make it change its ways overnight.  But they are 
nevertheless construed by Beijing as a collective slap in the face. 
 
"... Some have argued that China's reaction to recent criticism and 
to the award given the Dalai Lama has been surprisingly mild -- a 
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL TO DALAI LAMA 
 
result, perhaps, of the coming Olympics, which forces it to moderate 
its response to such sensitive issues, slap notwithstanding." 
 Congress has voiced much more disapproval of Beijing on human 
rights issues than any other branch of the U.S. government, which 
has often put Congress at odds with the US Department of State. 
Congress is also a better, more intimate reflection of the popular 
will of Americans, which makes its views something Beijing cannot 
afford to ignore. 
 
"What makes the situation even more awkward for Beijing is that U.S. 
President George W. Bush will attend the award ceremony on 
Wednesday, marking Bush's first-ever public meeting with the Dalai 
Lama. 
 
"... With China so focused on preparing for the Olympic Games next 
year, these public condemnations are insufficient, in and of 
themselves, to make it change its ways overnight.  But they are 
nevertheless construed by Beijing as a collective slap in the face. 
 
"Some have argued that China's reaction to recent criticism and to 
the award given the Dalai Lama has been surprisingly mild -- a 
result, perhaps, of the coming Olympics, which forces it to moderate 
its response to such sensitive issues, slap notwithstanding." 
 
 
WANG