VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1616/01 3220917
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 170917Z NOV 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0383
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8746
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0198

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001616 
 
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.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, CROSS-STRAIT 
RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused 
November 15-17 news coverage on former President Chen Shui-bian, who 
was taken to hospital Sunday evening after having been on a hunger 
strike since he was detained last Wednesday; on the prosecutors' 
questioning of Chen's family members over the weekend in the course 
of the probe into the former first family's alleged money 
laundering; on students staging sit-ins in Taipei demanding that the 
government amend the Assembly and Parade Law; and on the G20 summit. 
 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial in the 
pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" urged the incoming 
Obama Administration to examine seriously the current rapprochement 
between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party and "take note of 
its downside risk in the erosion of Taiwan's democracy and hard-won 
human rights and civic freedom."  An op-ed piece in the 
pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" discussed Barack 
Obama's victory and said it is "likely to be a more conventional 
transfer of power than some might think, though it will encourage 
and inspire people everywhere."  A separate "Taipei Times" op-ed 
discussed the chaos occurred during China's Association for 
Relations across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin's visit to 
Taiwan two weeks ago and said "Taiwan lost a lot of dignity for the 
sake of one or two days of excitement."  End summary. 
 
¶3. U.S.-Taiwan Relations 
 
A) "Obama Must Note Taiwan's Crisis" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 
20,000] editorialized (11/17): 
 
"The imminent inauguration of a new Democratic administration in the 
United States under president-elect Senator Barack Obama has fuelled 
both hopes and concern in Taiwan over Washington's future policy 
toward East Asian and cross-strait affairs, including Taiwan's 
present and future. ...  Concern over Obama's future policy is 
rooted in the widespread belief that the right-wing Republican Party 
is more sympathetic toward Taiwan than the centrist Democratic 
Party, an impression based mainly on the shared anathema against the 
Chinese Communist Party ruled "Red China" between the Republican 
Party and the authoritarian Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) 
during the Cold War.  Nevertheless, it was the fiercely 
anti-communist late Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald 
Reagan who set the stage for Washington's recognition of the PRC in 
January 1979 and George W. Bush who cooperated with Beijing's 
high-pressure campaign against the Taiwan-centric Democratic 
Progressive Party government. ... 
 
"Instead of following his predecessor's narrow path, we hope Obama 
can review current dynamics and inject more new strategic thinking 
into their current China-centric policy orientation that 
incorporates the value of a democratic Taiwan to the world 
community. ...  Indeed, Ma's victory in the March 22 presidential 
poll was largely the result of a policy of 'regime change' in Taiwan 
adopted to appease Beijing by the Bush administration, which 
repeatedly acted to de-legitimize the DPP's efforts to introduce 
direct democracy methods to improve governance and civic 
participation as well as bolster Taiwan-centric citizenship 
identity.  In the wake of this 'regime change,' the Taiwan people 
have witnessed a series of unilateral moves by the KMT that 
constitute less a genuine cross-strait 'rapprochement' than the 
formation of a 'community of interest' between the 
quasi-authoritarian KMT and the authoritarian CCP. 
 
"The KMT government's dismissal of opposition oversight and the 
sharp rise in dissatisfaction by an excluded citizenry, the blatant 
trampling on civic freedom in the overblown security blanket thrown 
around PRC envoy Chen Yunlin earlier this month and the repeated 
violations of due process in the recent series of detentions and 
indictments of DPP leaders are signs of a grave rollback in Taiwan 
democracy and human rights. ...  We hope the upcoming Obama 
administration and those who will take charge of its East Asian 
policy will engage in a serious re-examination of the actual content 
of the current "rapprochement" between the KMT and CCP and take note 
of its downside risk in the erosion of Taiwan's democracy and 
hard-won human rights and civic freedom." 
 
B) "Less Change in the US Than Some Might Say" 
 
Chang Chi-yu, an associate professor at the Department of Applied 
English of Ming Chuan University, opined in the pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (11/15): 
 
"... An array of stories and events associated with the Obama frenzy 
begs the question: Will the US change? To be more specific, will it 
change into a more humble power?  An unspoken corollary of this 
question deserves clarification. It is based on the assumption that 
RELATIONS 
 
Obama as president, with an ethnic minority background, will tend to 
be more empathetic toward other states. Partly because of growing 
economic problems, the new government may not be as unilaterally 
tough as previous administrations when dealing with issues like 
nuclear weapons and terrorism that have long haunted the nation. 
However, the corollary doesn't hold if placed against the national 
interest and US history. The following philosophy remains deeply 
rooted in the American mindset and prevalent throughout the world: 
If nuclear weapons are secured by those with evil tendencies, then 
that is a threat to the US and the whole world. ... 
 
"Obama's succession is likely to be a more conventional transfer of 
power than some might think, though it will encourage and inspire 
people everywhere. Because belief in change is widespread and 
because there is considerable scope for change, many can't wait to 
see the degree to which a nation in ethnic and political flux will 
transform itself.  But one thing will never change: America is more 
humble, in its own way, though not in a way that suggests cowardice 
or weakness. That has nothing to do with whether the president is 
black or white." 
 
¶4. Cross-Strait Relations 
 
"Uproar over Visit a Loss for Taiwan" 
 
Chang Teng-chi, an associate professor at the Institute of Strategic 
and International Affairs Studies of National Chung Cheng 
University, opined in the pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" [circulation: 30,000] (11/17): 
 
"... Another factor to consider is the ongoing effort of the US, 
China and Japan to seek detente, and the worldwide wave of support 
for US president-elect Barack Obama, motivated as it is by the 
desire for peace. In this context, international media expressed 
hopes for a successful SEF-ARATS meeting. Zhang and Chen's visits 
were viewed as a matter of international relations, which in itself 
was a good thing for Taiwan's dignity. In the event, however, 
international media reported how Zhang was "knocked to the ground." 
The treatment meted out to Zhang tarnished the image of Taiwan's 
democracy and conversely served to highlight Beijing's soft 
offensive strategy.  How did we miss these opportunities and where 
did we go wrong? The DPP must bear a considerable part of the 
blame. 
 
"Taiwan is an island society that has been colonized in turn by 
several powers and whose economy depends heavily on foreign trade. 
It must step warily among the sometimes clashing titans of Europe, 
the US, Japan and China. China, for its part, has long since 
infiltrated Taiwan's commercial sector and its ruling and opposition 
political forces, and it knows how to use its connections. When in 
government, the DPP was only willing or able to passively 'manage' 
the situation. Its dream of blockading China was a non-starter, and 
it let slip the opportunity of using Taiwan's 'pro-localization' 
forces to win concessions from China. Instead, the DPP became all 
the more dependent on its habit of using Chinese repression to 
garner dignity and actively seeking out such repression for the sake 
of winning sympathy votes. ... 
 
"While China is full of confidence in its hard power, when it comes 
to soft power, its boasting cannot conceal its weaknesses. Taiwan 
could put its own strong points to the best advantage by opening a 
psychological counteroffensive and engaging in peaceful rivalry with 
China on such issues as food safety, welfare, charity, democracy and 
plurality. Such a strategy would gain the support of disparate 
forces within Taiwan and help it maintain a dynamic equilibrium with 
the US, China and Japan.  This is the only way to prevent Taiwan's 
identity and the sovereignty of the ROC from being destroyed by 
internal strife, and it is the only way to win back the dignity that 
has been lost." 
 
YOUNG