VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0483 0972240
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 062240Z APR 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8633
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8134
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9373

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000483 
 
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 
 
 
Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
April 3 news coverage on president-elect Ma Ying-jeou's interest in 
visiting the United States before his inauguration; on the 
infighting and reform of the defeated DPP; on Ma's remarks Tuesday 
that the ban on the direct exchange of the New Taiwan dollar for the 
Chinese yuan will be lifted by the end of 2008; on the investigation 
into a China Airlines procurement case that involved senior 
government officials possibly taking kickbacks; and on Wang 
Chien-ming, the Taiwan-born Yankees starting pitcher, who got his 
first win of the season Wednesday.  Both the pro-unification "United 
Daily News" and the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" reported on 
their inside pages that Ma's close aides are still negotiating with 
Washington about Ma's request to visit the United States before May 
20, and both sides are still hoping to find a way to handle the 
matter in a manner acceptable both to Ma and to Washington. In terms 
of editorials and commentaries, a "China Times" op-ed said the DPP's 
governance over the past eight years has put Taiwan in an awkward 
position, which pleases neither Washington nor Beijing.  The article 
urged the incoming KMT administration to take advantage of Taiwan's 
democratic values and use them to strive for the overriding 
interests of Taiwan.  End summary. 
 
[Ed. Note: A searchable archive of past issues of AIT/Taipei's media 
review products may be found at 
www.intelink.gov/communities/state/taiwanmedi areview.] 
 
"Use Soft Power to Highlight Taiwan's Values" 
 
Professor Chao Chun-shan of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute 
of China Studies opined in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" 
[circulation: 400,000] (4/3): 
 
"The question of whether president-elect Ma Ying-jeou is able to 
visit the United States before his inauguration has aroused the 
concern of the Taiwan people.  Signals from all sides indicate that 
perhaps the key still lies in Washington-Beijing ties.  Ma won the 
March presidential election with an overwhelming majority.  Given 
the intimacy of the substantive relations between Taiwan and the 
United States and the fact that Washington always boasts about its 
promotion of democratic values, it really does not make sense for 
Washington to reject Ma's visit.  But in consideration of the United 
States' practical interests, it seems that Washington must also take 
Beijing's reaction into consideration.  All these have highlighted 
the external situation Taiwan is facing and the question of how the 
KMT is going to resolve Taiwan's diplomatic predicament after it 
takes over the helm. ... 
 
"Washington-Beijing relations reveal this characteristic of 'uniting 
while also competing', which thus provides traditional allies of the 
United States, such as Japan and South Korea, with an opportunity to 
expand their relations with Beijing.  Under the diplomatic banner of 
pursuing 'independence and self-determination,' these countries seek 
to maintain close military contact with the United States on the one 
hand and proactively to strengthen their bilateral ties with Beijing 
on the other.  In other words, these countries have broken away from 
the traditional Cold-War-era thinking and no longer regard 
themselves as 'pawns' used to contain Beijing.  Instead, they want 
to keep pace with the United States and jump on the bandwagon of 
engaging with Beijing. ... 
 
"A look back at Taiwan shows that DPP rule over the past eight years 
has landed Taiwan in an awkward position that pleases neither 
Washington nor Beijing.  The United States took Taiwan's loyalty 
toward it for granted, but Taiwan did not get the reward it 
deserves.  On the contrary, the DPP's hostility against Beijing has 
won Taiwan an evil reputation of being a 'troublemaker.'  How 
unbearable this is for the Taiwan people!  This writer personally 
believes that the key lies in the fact that the DPP administration 
has overemphasized the United States' 'containment' of Beijing while 
overlooking the aspect of [Washington's] 'engagement' with Beijing. 
In other words, the DPP administration has failed to take full 
advantage of Taiwan's values and used them to strive to win the 
greatest advantage for Taiwan. ..." 
 
YOUNG