VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0809/01 1620928
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100928Z JUN 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9131
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8350
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9583

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000809 
 
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. AND CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS 
 
 
Summary:  As Taiwan's June 10 print media continued to concentrate 
on reporting the controversy over the foreign permanent residency 
status of officials in the Ma Ying-jeou administration, news 
coverage also focused on the upcoming talks between Taiwan's Straits 
Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China's Association for Relations 
across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), and on a Taiwan teenage golfer who 
captured the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) 
championship golf tournament in the U.S. Sunday.  In terms of 
editorials and commentaries, a column in the centrist, KMT-leaning 
"China Times" urged the Ma Ying-jeou administration to speed up its 
coordination and cooperation with the United States when 
cross-Strait relations are moving in high gear toward improvement. 
An editorial in the pro-unification "United Daily News" reminded the 
KMT to watch out for the roles that the government and the party 
should play in the upcoming cross-Strait talks.  An editorial in the 
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News," on the other hand, 
criticized Ma's administration for "setting aside" Taiwan's 
sovereignty in its dealing with Beijing.  End summary. 
 
A) "Chance of a Lifetime for Taiwan; Do Not Mess It Up" 
 
Deputy Editor-in-Chief Kuo Chen-lung wrote in the "International 
Column" in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 
400,000] (6/10): 
 
"Taiwan's relations with mainland China are now in the midst of a 
precious moment, which barely occurs once in a hundred years.  Yet 
there are many dangers and difficulties lying ahead, particularly 
when Beijing is acting proactively [to dictate the development of 
cross-Strait relations] while Taiwan is gradually losing its 
initiative.  The Ma [Ying-jeou] administration wants to take 
advantage of [Taiwan's] relations with the United States to balance 
[cross-Strait relations] but is missing the best timing. ... 
 
"... But given the current quick pace of change in cross-Strait 
relations, [it is questionable] whether the United States and Taiwan 
are keeping up with the intensive and continuous communication 
[between China and Taiwan].  For example, the second day after the 
meeting between [Chinese President] Hu [Jintao] and [KMT Chairman] 
Wu [Poh-hsiung], the resumption of negotiations between Taiwan's 
Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China's Association for 
Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) was announced.  Did the 
United States know about it beforehand?  Before the SEF leads a 
delegation to mainland China, has [Taiwan] consulted with the United 
States privately?  These [moves] may seem to jeopardize Taiwan's 
sovereignty, but they are actually essential moves to 'balance' 
[changing cross-Strait relations]. 
 
"What is even more worrisome is how [the Ma administration] will 
respond when [the future cross-Strait talks] touch on the core 
security interests between the United States and Taiwan.  For 
example, what is the Ma administration going to do if mainland 
representatives hint to their Taiwan counterparts in private 
meetings that [Taiwan's] ongoing purchase of weapons from the United 
States will have a negative impact on the amicable atmosphere on 
both sides of the Strait? 
 
"In fact, in Ma's inaugural speech and in Minister of National 
Defense Chen Chao-min's recent remarks made in the Legislative Yuan, 
both emphasized over and over again that Taiwan will maintain its 
independent national defense and will purchase necessary weapons. 
However, the problem is:  Will [Taiwan] be able to reach a consensus 
with the United States and steadfastly draw a red line [telling 
China] that 'there is absolutely no room for negotiation' [over arms 
procurement from the United States] as [the island] grows more and 
more reliant on economic and trade cooperation with mainland China? 
 
 
"Of course the moment for showdown has not arrived yet, and Beijing, 
understanding the sensitivity of the issue as well, will not put the 
issue on the table for the time being.  In the meantime, the United 
States is reluctant to sell F-16C/D fighter jets to Taiwan because 
it is worried that [such a deal] will negatively affect the 
atmosphere surrounding the resumption of cross-Strait dialogue.  In 
particular, officials in the Bush administration only have six 
months left in their term of office, so the administration 
definitely does not want to offend mainland China just to enhance 
U.S. relations with Taiwan. 
 
"However, the countdown is gradually speeding up.  How to arrange 
and define [Taiwan's] relation with the United States is an issue 
that Ma's administration must think about immediately. 
Nevertheless, [Taiwan's] representative to the United States is yet 
to take office, and his deputy who is supposed to assist him is 
undecided as well.  When compared with its hasty attitude toward the 
mainland policy, [Ma administration] is indeed getting out of 
balance in terms of its policy toward the United States. 
 
"Some people suggested that senior officials at [Taiwan's] National 
 
Security Council (NSC) visit the United States as soon as possible. 
Besides establishing a mechanism in which every [Taiwan] agency has 
a counterpart [in the United States] and renewing the NSC's 
understanding of the secret agreements and tacit consensus reached 
between the United States and Taiwan over the last eight years, what 
is more important [for Taiwan] is to report to the United States 
directly on what happens in the SEF-ARATS talks and to come up with 
a policy timetable within the next six months.  The next few months 
will be a key period for Ma, and it will be a key period in Taiwan's 
history as well.  Ma and his NSC staff have no right to screw it 
up." 
 
B) "'Bridge' and 'Road':  Concerted Attack by Converging the Two 
Tracks of Party and Government" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (6/10): 
 
"... The current circumstances may seem to bode well for both sides 
of the Taiwan Strait.  But a comparison of how the governments on 
both sides of the Taiwan Strait react to such developments show that 
Beijing has been working in an orderly fashion in terms of its 
strategy and level of officials [dealing with Taiwan].  It is 
obvious that Beijing has it all planned out.  But a look at the 
Taiwan's side showed that since winning the election on March 22, 
the new [Ma Ying-jeou] administration has been inconsistent in terms 
of its speed, progress, and the level of officials [who engage with 
China] -- a move that has confused both its rival and the 
administration itself and has thus created uncertainty for 
interaction across the Strait.  Both President Ma and KMT Chairman 
Wu Poh-hsiung reached a good tacit agreement prior to Wu's visit to 
China last month, which thus made the two tracks -- the government 
and the party -- coordinate with each other quite smoothly.  It 
requires careful planning and some break-in for the KMT to learn 
from this successful experience, so that it will not 'run out of 
control' or even let the role of the 'second track' override that of 
the government. ..." 
 
C) "Ma's Concessions Risk Our Future" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (6/10): 
 
"... Ma's administration seems to believe they are adopting a 'soft' 
non-ideological approach with 'flexibility and pragmatism' that will 
bring more benefits to Taiwan.  But what Ma is actually doing is 
'setting aside' the sovereignty of Taiwan in an approach that is 
'inflexible and unrealistic' and which is driven by the KMT's hoary 
ideology of 'great Chinese nationalism.'  Ma's statement that 'the 
people on both sides of the Strait belong to the Chinese nation,' 
has delivered a clear message to the Taiwanese people that, 
regardless of the mainstream Taiwan-centric identity, their new 
government considers Taiwan to be part of 'China' and to have no 
intrinsic identity except as an instrument to 'link up with China.' 
 
"Ma seems intent on making unilateral concessions of Taiwan's 
sovereignty so that Beijing may kindly bestow Taiwan some survival 
space, presumably under the lasting 'complete governance' of the 
CCP's 'elder brother' China-centric party.  However, this weak-kneed 
mentality will only bring '100 disadvantages and no benefits' to 
Taiwan.  Internally, Taiwan will lose precious time and space to 
consolidate its national development, which is entwined and mutually 
dependent with the concept of a citizen based Taiwan national 
identity fostered under both Lee Teng-hui and the former DPP 
government.  The KMT's evident attempt to supplant the historically 
and democratically-grounded citizen-based concept of Taiwan identity 
with a vague attachment to a 'great Chinese nation' lacks any clear 
vision of what kind of society the 23 million people on Taiwan 
should build and what our distinct place in the world community 
should be. ..." 
 
WANG