VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0574/01 1160746
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250746Z APR 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8762
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8197
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9438

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000574 
 
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 April 25 dailies 
focused news coverage on Taiwan's Supreme Court not guilty verdict 
for President-elect Ma Ying-jeou in his special allowance case; on 
Taipei Deputy Mayor Samuel Wu's resignation amid allegations that he 
received money from an arms dealer; on AIT Director Stephen Young's 
participation in Taiwan's annual Yushan crisis drill; and on the 
speculation that former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card will 
lead the United States delegation to Ma's inauguration.  The 
centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" ran a banner headline on page 
four that said "To Congratulate Ma on Inauguration, the United 
States Might Send Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card to 
Lead the Delegation."  The China Times also carried Card's bio and 
another story on the complex connection between Ma's wish to visit 
the United States and the United States' decision to appoint Card to 
lead the delegation. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an opinion in the 
pro-unification "United Daily News" criticized Taiwan's annual 
Yushan crisis drill for being "unprofessional" and the DPP 
government's decision to allow AIT Director Stephen Young to enter 
the Yuanshan command center as compromising Taiwan's national 
dignity.  An editorial in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" 
urged Taiwan to reestablish its strategy in foreign affairs by 
emphasizing Taiwan's advantages in culture and democracy. End 
summary. 
 
A) "The Yushan Crisis Drill Is Unprofessional" 
 
KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung opined in the pro-unification "United 
Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] (4/25): 
 
"Scenarios in the Yushan crisis drill are decided by [Taiwan's] 
National Security Council.  However, from the aspects of crisis 
management and military, [the scenarios] are totally 
unprofessional. 
 
"Crisis management is meant to foresee the future but cannot go 
against reality.  The purpose of an exercise is to verify 
contingency plans and conduct training in times of peace. 
Objectives of an exercise have to include various simultaneous 
factors including a constantly changing external environment, 
conditions, capabilities, and technology - rather than groundless 
imagination.  [The scenario that simulates] China's surprise attacks 
on [Taiwan's] east coast in 2020 is unrealistic.  Surprise military 
attacks normally target command, control, communication, and 
intelligence systems.  In the real Persian Gulf wars and the Chinese 
Communists' planning for acupuncture warfare, communications and 
power grids are listed as the first target.  It is impossible [for 
China's military] to attack [Taiwan's] east coast at the beginning 
[of a conflict]. ... 
 
"What is more absurd is that the Yushan crisis drill practiced 
aiding Americans to evacuate their nationals.  In real examples of 
various countries, whenever [a country] is involved in a military 
conflict, it regards the evacuation of expatriates as a strike 
against its troops and civilians' morale, and it is a taboo which 
will reduce the international community's concern [about the 
country].  To our surprise, Taiwan has this kind of item for 
verification in the drill.  Also, while Taiwan's representative to 
the United States is unable to pass through the door of the [United 
States] State Department, AIT Director Stephen Young can drive 
straight into the supremely critical Yuanshan command center.  Our 
country's diplomacy compromises on reciprocal national dignity a bit 
too much." 
 
B) "Diplomatic Challenges that [Taiwan's] New Government Faces" 
 
The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (4/25): 
 
"Washington ...in the end is not allowing [Taiwan's President-elect] 
Ma Ying-jeou to visit the United States.  However, after all that, 
it is raising the level of the special envoy who will attend [Ma's] 
inauguration ceremony.  [The United States] on the one hand 
maintains a perspective on international reality and on the other 
hand is expressing its goodwill to, and its expectations of, 
[Taiwan's] new government.  Similarly, the international community 
also expects that Taiwan's diplomacy will return to rationality and 
pragmatism.  How to rebuild the diplomatic strategies to protect 
Taiwan's survival, development, sovereignty and dignity will be a 
serious topic for the new government. ... 
 
"Taiwan's diplomatic predicament results from a wide gap in  power 
between both sides [of the Taiwan Strait] and China's insistence on 
a zero-sum game.  We, being a weak power, have to try our best to 
strengthen ourselves and accumulate bargaining chips to earn a 
minimum space for survival and the status of sovereignty in the 
international community.  It is regrettable that [the work of 
Taiwan's] diplomacy has been flamboyant and has wasted its 
 
long-cultivated diplomatic resources in the last few years just for 
the country's leader to show off or to perform electioneering for a 
certain party.  [Taiwan's diplomacy in recent years] used the 
provocative concept of Taiwan independence to exhaust the 
international community's sympathy for Taiwan and damage once-close 
U.S.-Taiwan relations.  What Ma is inheriting now is a devastated 
diplomatic wasteland and he has to irrigate it from scratch again. 
U.S.-Taiwan relations can be rebuilt quickly.  However, [Taiwan's] 
relations with other countries will need much more effort [to 
rebuild].  For the first time, it will be a Latin American expert, 
Francisco Ou, who takes the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
Not only because diplomacy must return to the professionals, but 
also because Latin America, where our country's diplomatic strategic 
importance lies, is on fire and [Taiwan] has to fight the fire 
urgently. ... 
 
"In fact, the major asset that Taiwan has is 'values.'  The number 
of diplomatic allies we have is not to be compared with China's.  We 
are short of the required votes to be a member of the United 
Nations.  However, Taiwan, with yet another change in the party in 
power, has demonstrated that Chinese society can have a free, 
democratic, open and mature civilization.  For countries with mature 
democracies, the continuing existence of these values [in Taiwan] is 
very precious and has to be protected. 
 
"Taiwan normally is in touch only with the bitter side of 
international reality and...does not know how to use [its civil 
society values] to market itself.  Taiwan should focus more [on 
marketing Taiwan's values] in the future.  In order to maintain its 
survival in the international community, Taiwan will need major 
countries' support.  Public opinion in these countries can be 
influential in policy-making.  If Taiwan's civil society values are 
recognized in public opinion, governments' foreign policies will 
have to respond.  Many political leaders' decisions not to 
participate in the relay of the Olympic torch or the opening of the 
Beijing Olympic Games were based on public opinion and the attendant 
pressure.  The gap in power between Tibet and China is even greater 
than that between Taiwan and China.  Tibet can garner international 
sympathy, so Taiwan should not underestimate itself. ..." 
 
YOUNG