VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1517 3010943
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270943Z OCT 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0189
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8668
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0116

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001517 
 
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. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
 
Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused October 
25-27 news coverage on the DPP's mass rally in Taipei on Saturday to 
protest the Ma Ying-jeou Administration's alleged tilt toward China; 
on the upcoming visit to Taiwan by China's Association for Relations 
across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin; and on the Taiwan 
government's announcement that the daily trading limit on the local 
stock market would revert to its normal 7 percent starting Monday to 
boost the market's liquidity.  In terms of editorials and 
commentaries, a column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" 
discussed the upcoming U.S. presidential election and the global 
situation.  The article said the world is looking forward to the 
election of Barack Obama of the Democratic Party and the possible 
changes he may bring to the world.  End summary. 
 
"The World Is Looking Forward to Changes" 
 
Jou Yi-cheng, founder of the Third Society Party, wrote in the "Hall 
of Fame" column in the pro-unification "United Daily News" 
[circulation: 400,000] (10/27): 
 
"... Despite the fact that some people may like it and some hate it, 
the United States remains the overlord of the globe.  Yet in the 
eyes of a majority of the people in the world, the United States has 
become a repugnant superpower in the last eight years.  The Bush 
Administration's unilateralist foreign policy, its launch of the war 
in Iraq, [the United States'] withdrawal from the 'Kyoto Protocol' 
governing greenhouse gas emissions, and President George W. Bush's 
personal words, deeds and style -- all of these have stripped the 
United States of its justification as a leader; all the more, they 
have turned the country into another kind of 'rogue state.' ... 
Barack Obama's election and the possible changes that he may bring 
are thus something that the world is looking forward to.  The 
foreign policy of Democratic Obama will naturally be leaning toward 
idealism/liberalism; it will emphasize cooperation, alliance, 
negotiation and will attach great importance to human rights, 
environmental protection and labor issues.  Nevertheless, it will be 
incorrect to assume that there will be big changes to the United 
States' grand strategy once Obama is elected.  Should Obama rise to 
power, U.S. foreign policy will likely adopt a middle-of-the-road 
approach, namely, a [combination of] the traditional realism school 
and liberalism school -- some kind of middle-of-the-road line coming 
together following the bitter lesson learned after the failure of 
the Bush Administration's neo-conservatism line. ... 
 
"For Taiwan, a U.S. leader who attaches great importance to values 
such as democracy and human rights but who does not push American 
values by using force, as Bush did, is certainly welcome.  Given 
that nowadays the chances are slim of containing China 
strategically, Taiwan should form an alliance of values with the 
Western democratic world, not an alliance of geopolitical strategy. 
... With the United States' and Japan's full trust and cooperation, 
Taiwan's efforts to improve relations with China and thereby 
facilitate changes in China will meet the island's greatest 
interests. ..." 
 
YOUNG