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OO RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHIN #0949/01 1831032
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 011032Z JUL 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9372
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8410
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9679
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0038
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 2750
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 1320
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9639
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 2134
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 6713
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000949 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAGR ETRD MARR CH TW
SUBJECT: LY SPEAKER WANG JIN-PYNG ON CROSS-STRAIT 
RELATIONS, KMT POLITICS, ARMS SALES, BEEF 
 
Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, 
Reason(s): 1.4 (B/D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: During a June 30 meeting with the Director, 
Legislative Yuan (LY) Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (KMT) asserted 
the LY is entitled to supervise cross-Strait negotiations and 
ratify cross-Strait agreements.  This would ensure that 
Taiwan's sovereignty and security are not impugned, and the 
interests of Taiwan's people are adequately protected. 
Weekend cross-Strait charter flights and increased PRC 
tourism are the easy issues, but future agreements that touch 
on sensitive questions of sovereignty and international 
participation will not come so easily, Wang warned.  Wang 
inquired about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, worrying that 
Congress may not have enough time to approve sales before the 
end of the Taiwan fiscal year in December.  KMT Chairman Wu 
Poh-hsiung and many legislators are upset with Ma, 
particularly over the disrespect shown by cabinet members, 
claimed Wang, who predicted the LY will express its 
dissatisfaction by giving a hard time to Ma's nominees for 
the Control and Examination Yuans.  End Summary. 
 
Provocative Interview? 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) The Director asked about the pro-green "Liberty Times" 
lengthy interview of Wang published that morning, June 30, in 
which Wang had called for legislative involvement in and 
oversight of cross-Strait negotiations, including requiring 
LY ratification of any cross-Strait agreements.  Wang 
insisted the only reason the interview had been published in 
the Liberty Times was because the paper had requested it, and 
he denied choosing a pro-green newspaper to send a message to 
President Ma Ying-jeou.  (Comment: We're not convinced.) 
 
¶3. (C) Wang asserted to the Director that the LY is legally 
entitled to supervise cross-Strait negotiations, and morally 
obligated to ensure that resulting agreements do not diminish 
Taiwan's sovereignty or security.  The LY is also charged to 
protect the interests of Taiwan's 23 million citizens. 
Admitting he had not yet discussed the matter with President 
Ma, Wang said he was confident that others in the KMT, 
including Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman P.K. 
Chiang and KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, would respect the LY's 
role as spelled out by law. 
 
¶4. (C) Legislators would not be active participants in the 
cross-Strait negotiation process, Wang explained, but would 
observe and privately ask questions of SEF Chairman Chiang 
and other Taiwan representatives if necessary.  In this way, 
he continued, those legislators present during the 
negotiations would be able to answer questions from the rest 
of the LY, smoothing the ratification process for any 
resulting cross-Strait agreement. 
 
Cross-Strait Only Going To Get Harder 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Wang characterized the recent progress on cross-Strait 
charter flights and increased PRC tourism as the "easy" first 
steps on a long road that is bound to become more difficult. 
Voters understood that most details for these agreements were 
hammered out during the Chen administration, Wang maintained, 
so they expected Ma to deliver quick results.  As 
cross-Strait talks progress, he continued, the discussions 
will increasingly delve into more sensitive matters like 
Taiwan's sovereignty and international space. 
 
¶6. (C) The Director remarked that Washington continues to 
urge Beijing to adopt a practical, flexible approach toward 
negotiations with Taiwan, but the Chinese government, 
especially the Foreign Ministry, is slow to change.  Wang 
expressed optimism that Association for Relations Across the 
Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin would visit Taiwan 
during the course of SEF-ARATS talks.  Chen Yunlin has 
indicated that he wishes to visit Taiwan, said Wang, and 
unlike former president Chen Shui-bian, President Ma has 
placed no conditions on Chen Yunlin's visit to Taiwan. 
 
 
TAIPEI 00000949  002 OF 002 
 
 
Arms Sales Delay? 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Wang asked about rumors that some U.S. officials had 
sought to prevent the Taiwan arms sales notifications from 
going to Congress.  He worried that Congress would not have 
enough time to complete the approval process before the 
Taiwan fiscal year ends this December.  The Director reminded 
Wang that arms sales to Taiwan are a sensitive and 
complicated matter.  Stressing that the glare of media 
publicity complicates the handling of such sensitive issues, 
th Director urged Wang not to raise the profile of this 
subject by discussing our exchanges in public. 
 
KMT Unhappy With Ma, Especially His Cabinet 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung as well as numerous KMT LY 
caucus members are dissatisfied with Ma "on many fronts," 
Wang volunteered, particularly over Ma's choices for the 
Cabinet, and their failure to honor procedure or to show 
respect for party leaders.  (Note: KMT legislators were 
incensed by Premier Liu Chao-shiuan's mid-June failure to 
consult them before introducing a budget bill on projects to 
expand domestic demand, and Liu was also roundly criticized 
for  mishandling recent food, oil, and gas price increases. 
End note.)  Wang said he expects the KMT caucus to express 
its dissatisfaction by holding up approval of administration 
nominees for the Control Yuan (dormant since January 2005) 
and Examination Yuan.  Aside from the 25-30 at-large and 
overseas legislators who depend on the party for their 
nominations, the rest of the KMT caucus will either drag 
their feet on approving the nominations, or will actively 
oppose them, predicted Wang. 
 
Beef: Wait 'til Things Simmer Down 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) Turning to the issue of U.S. beef imports, Wang said 
Taiwan officials would have to wait until things cool down 
from the South Korean uproar before the political climate 
here would allow them to move forward on beef.  Pork would be 
even harder because of Taiwan's sizable domestic pork 
industry.  The Director pushed for a more specific time 
frame, asking if three months would be sufficient to nail 
down an agreement on beef.  Wang indicated something in that 
ballpark would be a good estimate.  In the meantime, he 
encouraged us to work with the Department of Health and 
Council on Agriculture to get the scientific facts out to the 
Taiwan public in a low-key manner. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶10. (C) His protests notwithstanding, Wang's provocative 
interview in a pro-Green newspaper represents something of a 
gauntlet thrown down to the new administration on 
cross-Strait negotiations in particular and policy generally. 
 With no love lost between the LY Speaker and his president, 
it seems Wang senses an opportunity to assert himself into 
the KMT power mix.  All this suggests the KMT party unity 
that assisted sweeping electoral victories earlier this year 
is breaking down.  It will be interesting watching how 
President Ma, who has claimed to be interested in a lower key 
presidential profile, will respond to this challenge. 
 
YOUNG