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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8618
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RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9497
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 9808
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 2590
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 1152
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RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 1970
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 6559
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RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TAIPEI 000475 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAGR ETRD TW
SUBJECT: CHAIRMAN BURGHARDT AND LEGISLATIVE SPEAKER WANG 
JIN-PYNG DISCUSS POLITICAL AND BILATERAL ISSUES 
 
Classified By: Director Stephen M. Young, 
Reason(s): 1.4 (B/D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: The U.S. is Taiwan's most important friend, 
ally, and democratic role model, Legislative Yuan (LY) 
Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (KMT) told AIT Chairman Burghardt on 
March 29.  Taiwan will continue to rely on U.S. support, 
particularly defense assistance, under the new Ma 
administration.  Wang urged the U.S. to allow Ma to visit 
before his inauguration, and expressed appreciation for the 
U.S. plan to send a high-level delegation to Ma's 
inauguration on May 20.  Wang pledged to emphasize a spirit 
of compromise in the KMT-dominated LY.  He suggested that as 
long as U.S. beef products meet applicable health standards, 
the LY would not object to President Chen lifting 
restrictions on U.S. beef imports.  U.S. pork products, 
however, will face stiffer resistance from legislators, due 
to pressure from Taiwan's domestic pork producers.  End 
Summary. 
 
Taiwan Needs Continued U.S. Support 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) In an 80-minute meeting with LY Speaker Wang Jin-pyng 
on March 29, AIT Chairman Burghardt offered congratulations 
to Taiwan for holding a free and fair election, and for the 
prospect of a second peaceful transition of power.  The U.S. 
looks forward to Ma's presidency as an opportunity to improve 
U.S.-Taiwan relations, and to discuss issues of mutual 
concern, including more stable and productive cross-Strait 
relations.  Wang thanked the U.S. for consistently supporting 
Taiwan's democracy.  The U.S. is Taiwan's most important 
partner and ally, and Taiwan has learned much from the U.S. 
model of democratic government.   Taiwan will need U.S. 
support in confronting various future challenges, said Wang, 
especially in maintaining a strong defense.  The PRC military 
advantage over Taiwan continues to grow, and Taiwan cannot 
expect fair treatment from the PRC unless Taiwan is capable 
of defending itself. 
 
Wang Urges U.S. Flexibility on Ma Visit 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Wang asked whether it would be possible for Ma 
Ying-jeou to visit the U.S. before his inauguration on May 
¶20.  Allowing Ma to visit the U.S. would speed progress on 
cross-Strait relations, argued Wang, and would give Ma a 
valuable chance to build and strengthen relationships with 
U.S. decision-makers.  Burghardt informed Wang that the 
matter was still under discussion in Washington.  U.S.-Taiwan 
relations have enjoyed more flexibility in recent years, 
Burghardt noted, but the relationship remains governed by a 
thirty year-old framework that sometimes restricts both 
sides' freedom of movement.  Burghardt assured Wang that 
objections from Beijing would play no part in Washington's 
decision-making process; rather, the driving concern was to 
avoid complicating U.S.-China-Taiwan relations by acting in a 
way that Beijing would perceive as a "radical departure" from 
past practices.  Wang expressed the hope the U.S. would be 
"flexible" in allowing Ma's visit; after all, he quipped, the 
U.S. "is not the Chinese Communist Party."  Burghardt 
promised to pass Wang's comments on to Washington. 
 
¶4.  (C) Wang also asked Burghardt about the U.S. delegation 
to Ma Ying-jeou's inauguration on May 20.  Burghardt assured 
Wang that the U.S. planned to send a "high-level" delegation, 
led by someone close to President Bush.  Wang expressed 
appreciation for the anticipated show of U.S. support for the 
new Ma administration. 
 
Cross-Strait Peace is Essential 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) According to Wang, during the eight years of DPP 
government, Taiwan has became increasingly marginalized from 
the PRC and other Asian markets, government debt has grown 
sharply, and Taiwan society has become increasingly polarized 
along ethnic and political lines.  Worst of all, Wang added, 
the wealth gap between Taiwan's rich and poor has continued 
to grow.  For government revenues to increase, Taiwan must 
 
TAIPEI 00000475  002 OF 003 
 
 
become more attractive to foreign and domestic investors. 
The only way to accomplish this goal is through liberalized 
trade with China, which will only be possible if cross-Strait 
relations remain peaceful. 
 
Wang Pledges Responsible KMT Majority 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) The KMT is well aware of the image problem of its "one 
party" dominance, said Wang.  Wang told Burghardt Ma had 
asked for his opinion on how to best deal with the DPP 
minority.  Wang told Ma the DPP may hold just a few seats in 
the LY, but that did not mean the KMT could ignore DPP 
objections.  If frustrated in the LY, the DPP could resort to 
street protests and even violence to achieve its political 
objectives, Wang cautioned.  He pledged that the KMT would 
use its LY majority responsibly, eschewing extreme rhetoric 
in favor of interparty negotiations to resolve disputes with 
the DPP. 
 
U.S. Beef and Pork Imports: Two Different Animals 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶7. (C) Burghardt told Wang that President Chen had promised 
to lift restrictions on importation of U.S. beef before May 
20, if President-elect Ma and the KMT-controlled LY would 
support the action.  As a "caretaker president," Burghardt 
explained, Chen is hoping to avoid controversy.  It would 
seem to be in Ma's interest to resolve the beef issue before 
assuming office, Burghardt suggested; otherwise, the question 
will keep coming up.  Taiwan has no domestic beef industry, 
Wang replied, and already imports beef from Australia, the 
U.S., and New Zealand.  With no domestic industry to protect, 
the LY is principally concerned with the safety of imported 
beef.  If U.S. beef producers can show their products meet 
applicable sanitary requirements, the LY will raise no 
objections. 
 
¶8. (C) Convincing the LY to sign off on U.S. pork imports 
won't be as easy, cautioned Wang.  Pork producers are a large 
and important part of Taiwan's agricultural sector, and 
opposition to U.S. imports remains intense.  Wang urged the 
U.S. to "understand and respect" the "political sensitivity" 
associated with liberalizing the Taiwan market to U.S. pork 
imports.  Burghardt replied that as a member of the WTO, 
Taiwan should apply internationally recognized food safety 
standards.  In doing so, Burghardt concluded, Taiwan will 
enhance its international reputation as a free and fair 
market.  Wang promised to raise the issue with Ma and Siew 
during the first week of April. 
 
President Chen Promises Smooth Transition 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Wang told Burghardt he had met with President Chen the 
day before, at Chen's request, to discuss the presidential 
transition and other pressing issues.  According to Wang, 
Chen promised the transition would be "open and smooth." 
Chen also expressed hope Ma would condition any dialogue with 
China on the removal of the PRC missiles currently aimed at 
Taiwan.  Chen is concerned, said Wang, that Beijing will 
stonewall Ma just like it did with Chen himself.  During 
their meeting, Chen also insisted that inflation was not as 
bad as the KMT had portrayed during the presidential 
campaign, and that Chen's administration had already put 
measures into place to mitigate the problem.  According to 
Wang, Chen also complained that DPP presidential candidate 
Frank Hsieh had done a "poor" job in his campaign, and had 
only himself to blame for his defeat. 
 
LY Staff: Room to Improve 
------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) The LY does not have a corps of professional staffers 
like the US Congress, conceded Wang, but it does have the 
Organic Law and Statute Bureau and the Research and Budget 
Center, two entities which Wang said have helped standardize 
and improve the legislative process.  Also, Wang noted, 
legislators in the newly downsized LY are authorized to hire 
up to 14 legislative assistants, four more than under the old 
 
TAIPEI 00000475  003 OF 003 
 
 
system.  Taiwan would welcome U.S. advice on how to further 
professionalize its legislative staffing system, Wang added. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶11. (C) Speaker Wang represents an important power base that 
newly-elected Ma has to treat gingerly.  Thus far the KMT has 
successfully maintained the party unity that helped them 
sweep LY and presidential elections this year.  The division 
of spoils that is starting now is bound to strain that unity, 
and Wang will be one figure to watch as this process plays 
itself out. 
YOUNG