VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0987/01 1900903
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080903Z JUL 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9427
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8423
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9654

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000987 
 
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: TAIWAN'S FOREIGN RELATIONS, CROSS-STRAIT 
RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
July 8 news coverage on the commodity prices hike in Taiwan; on the 
controversy over the construction of the Suhua Freeway; and on the 
screening process of the Examination Yuan candidates nominated by 
President Ma Ying-jeou.  In terms of editorials and commentaries, a 
column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" discussed the 
prospect of President Ma's planned visit to Paraguay and his 
possible transit stop in the United States in August.  The article 
questioned the substantive interests such "transit diplomacy" will 
create for Taiwan.  An editorial in the conservative, 
pro-unification, English-language "China Post" expressed its 
optimism about the closer links between Taiwan and China.  An 
editorial in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times," 
however, warned Ma not to become China's tool and act in China's 
interests rather than Taiwan's.  An editorial in the 
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" also criticized the 
Ma Administration's hasty cross-Strait policy, saying it lacks an 
overall strategy to ensure Taiwan's benefits and national security. 
End summary. 
 
¶2. Taiwan's Foreign Relations 
 
"President Ma Going onto the Diplomatic Frontline?" 
 
New York correspondent Jeremy Fu wrote in the "United Notes" column 
of the pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
(7/8): 
 
"Taipei is planning for President Ma Ying-jeou's visit to Central 
and South America in August.  Before the diplomatic truce across the 
Taiwan Strait is finally realized, perhaps there is need for Taipei 
to push for 'head-of-state diplomacy' at this moment to secure its 
relations with its allies that are on the verge of switching 
diplomatic recognition [to Beijing].  But it remains a test [for the 
Ma Administration] as to whether such a move will be able to break 
the pattern set by previous administrations. ... 
 
"What is even more twisted is that Taipei's head-of-state diplomacy 
has grown narrower and actually transformed into 'transit 
diplomacy.'  Over the past few years, whenever a Taiwan president 
went overseas to visit other countries, the visit itself became less 
important, while at the same time, his transits in those countries 
that are not Taiwan's diplomatic allies, particularly the United 
States, became the focus of those visits.  [Former President] Chen 
Shui-bian's transits in New York in 2001 and 2003, respectively, 
were perhaps the peak of [Taipei's] 'transit diplomacy' in the 
United States.  With the strong support and tacit agreement of the 
Bush administration at the time, Bian's activities in New York were 
no longer a simple 'transit' but truly a 'visit'...  But how many 
substantive interests can such transit diplomacy create for Taiwan? 
 
"If President Ma makes an overseas trip in August, Paraguay will 
certainly be a key leg of his visit. ...  In the meantime, the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is very likely planning for Ma to 
transit the United States.  MOFA's top choice [for Ma's transit] 
will be a metropolitan city on the East Coast, in order to 
compensate his loss for not being able to visit Washington before he 
took office.  But Beijing will be holding the Olympic Games in 
August; is Ma going to conduct 'transit diplomacy' with much fanfare 
again this time? ..." 
 
¶3. Cross-Strait Relations 
 
A) "Mainland Links Steadying" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (7/8): 
 
"... Upon his election on March 22, the president-elect surprised 
all by pledging to start cross-strait direct flights on July 4, a 
date so famous and a wish so soon to materialize that many were left 
in doubt.  Now the U.S. Independence Day will also be remembered as 
the day for Taiwan and the mainland to start air links to boost 
their blood ties. ...  Hopes are high that tourism and other 
measures will help Taiwan's economy.  Those hopes have become more 
urgent as Taiwan has raised fuel prices, battled inflation and seen 
its stock market fall dramatically in Ma's first six weeks in 
office." 
 
B) "Is Ma the 'Manchurian Candidate'?" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (7/8): 
 
"... Never mind China's deployment of more modern surface-to-air 
missiles that threaten Taiwan's airspace, or the fact that 
cross-strait flights are skewed in favor of Chinese airlines and eat 
into Taiwanese airlines' income, or that the promises of an economic 
 
miracle from Chinese tourism seem to be getting flimsier by the day. 
 Such rapacious behavior on Beijing's part was to be expected and 
the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou, intoxicated with the 
promise of better relations with China, seems to have fallen for the 
hype hook, line and sinker.  Beyond all this, there is now a 
perception, as reported by Christopher Hughes of the London School 
of Economics, that Ma has finally adopted Beijing's views and will 
do what it wants him to do -  that he has become Beijing's man in 
Taipei, who will open the gates of the castle and bring about the 
dream of annexation. ... 
 
"Despite the flexibility he has shown to date on matters of 
sovereignty, Ma is not Beijing's man, some brainwashed Manchurian 
candidate that can be radio-controlled to do its bidding.  Even if 
he were, the checks and balances of a democratic system would stop 
him before he could do irreparable damage to Taiwan's sovereignty. 
Nevertheless, the comments made by Chinese academics and officials 
run the risk of reinforcing the perception that he is a tool of 
China, which can only make it more difficult for him to exercise his 
presidential powers.  Even so, vigilance is in order. The 
president's every move, along with those of his immediate circle, 
must be scrutinized, and any indication that he is about to act in 
China's interests rather than Taiwan's should be met with the 
strongest opposition." 
 
C) "Hidden Risks of Direct Links" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (7/8): 
 
"... The careful use of opening of cross-strait linkages may help 
the revitalization of Taiwan's economic resources, but rushing to 
adopt piecemeal unilateral liberalizations without an overall 
strategy to ensure balance of benefits and a secure environment will 
certainly minimize any beneficial impact, much less 'revitalize the 
economy' as Ma and leading government officials have promised. 
Instead, excessive haste could cause even more damage to Taiwan's 
economy through the distortion of priorities and the loss of 
alternative opportunities than is alleged to have been inflicted by 
the cautious 'be patient' strategy adopted by former president Lee 
Teng-hui and continued, with variation, under former president Chen 
Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party government. 
 
"The most immediate risks concern dangers to our citizens because of 
inadequate preparations or even insufficient manpower and resources 
in fields such as immigration control, disease control and public 
safety and even air safety caused by the rash decision to open all 
eight of Taiwan's airports for direct flights and Chinese tourism. 
...  We suggest that the Ma government take some time before the 
next set of cross-strait talks to carefully evaluate all of the 
costs and risks as well as the benefits of further cross-strait 
liberalizations before rushing forward." 
 
YOUNG