VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1290 2410936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280936Z AUG 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9855
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8561
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0008

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001290 
 
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.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
Summary:  As Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued to 
focus news coverage August 28 on former President Chen Shui-bian and 
his family members' alleged money laundering and insider trading 
cases; and news reports about Beijing striking up its usual tune in 
objecting to Taiwan's bid for UN participation also appeared in 
nearly all Taiwan's papers.  The pro-independence "Liberty Times," 
however, front-paged a banner headline reading "Ma [Ying-jeou] 
Tilting toward China, and the United States Announces Its Position: 
There Should Be No Hint that China Has Sovereignty over Taiwan." 
According to the article, AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt expressed 
the United States' positions and conveyed "two noes" to Taiwan in 
August, namely that there should be no hint that China has 
sovereignty over Taiwan, and that Beijing cannot have the final say 
regarding any of Taiwan's participation or activities in the 
international community.  A "Liberty Times" analysis discussed the 
U.S. position and said the imbalanced developments across the Taiwan 
Strait has forced the United States to draw a red line.  End 
summary. 
 
"Imbalanced Developments across the Taiwan Strait Forces the United 
States to Draw a Red Line" 
 
Journalist Su Yung-yao wrote in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" 
[circulation: 700,000] (8/28): 
 
"In the face of the Ma Ying-jeou Administration's rapid tilt toward 
China, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice emphasized during an 
interview in late June that, even though the United States 
encourages developments in cross-Strait relations, she needs to 
remind [the world] that 'it [the U.S.] has a relationship with 
Taiwan as well.'  It is evident nevertheless that Taipei has not 
tried hard enough [in terms of its relations with Washington], or 
even that [its actions] have gradually sabotaged the balance in the 
Taiwan Strait, forcing the United States to address this. 
 
"...If the former Bian Administration were deemed to be 
over-maneuvering Taiwan's confrontation with China, then the current 
Ma Administration could well be viewed as swinging to the other 
extreme by seeking wholeheartedly a goodwill gesture from Beijing. 
Such a trend also fails to tally with the U.S. perspective. ... 
With regard to the 'two noes' message delivered by the United States 
recently, it is akin to a step forward [by Washington] to draw a red 
line.  When [Washington says that], in terms of Taiwan's 
[international] participation, there should be no hint that China 
has sovereignty over Taiwan, it means to include both the name and 
the way [Taiwan adopts] when [seeking to] participate in 
[international] organizations.  Also, [when Washington says that] it 
is opposed to Beijing having the final say [regarding any of 
Taiwan's activities in the international community], it means 
involvement the process of how Taiwan participates in such 
activities.  As a matter of fact, the aforementioned contents were 
meant not only for the ears of Taipei but also those of Beijing's. 
 
"In the wake of the Beijing Olympics, cross-Strait relations will 
get more complicated. China may act calmly and composedly [when 
dealing with the cross-Strait relationship], but Washington will 
certainly not keep mum about it.  Besides, Taiwan's attitude is also 
very important.  Only when it is able to revise its policy strategy 
of putting cross-Strait relations ahead of the island's foreign 
relations and make the best use of key strengths such as [its 
relationship with] the United States can Taiwan truly acquire an 
important position in the international community." 
 
WANG