VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0478 1110946
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 210946Z APR 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1424
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9128
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0563

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000478 
 
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. FOREIGN POLICY 
 
Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused April 21 
news coverage on the Taiwan prosecutors' probe into the alleged 
bribery scandals involving senior military officials; on Hong Kong 
action star Jackie Chan's controversial remarks on democracy in 
Taiwan during the Boao Forum; and on Legislative Speaker Wang 
Jin-pyng's call for including the Fifth Freedom of flight rights, 
commonly know as the "connecting flight" to a third destination, in 
the upcoming third round negotiation between Taiwan's Straits 
Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China's Association for Relations 
across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS).  In terms of editorials and 
commentaries, a column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" 
discussed the allegedly soft posture of U.S. President Barack Obama 
in his interactions with other countries lately.  However, the 
article concluded that there is no way the United States will change 
its principles in foreign policy just because of its change of 
president.  End summary. 
 
"U.S. Foreign Policy Principles Will Unlikely Be Altered Because of 
the Change of the President" 
 
The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning 
"China Times" [circulation: 150,000] wrote (4/21): 
 
"The United Nations Racism Conference kicked off in Geneva April 20, 
and the United States announced that it would boycott the meeting. 
Judging from such a development, it is evident that deep down 
inside, the United States will not change its foreign policy 
principles just because [President Barack] Obama has assumed office. 
...  Has Israel lessened its efforts in putting down the Palestinian 
people over the past eight years?  Not only has it not, but the 
situation has even gotten worse.  One could easily prove it by 
looking at the recent attacks Israel has launched at Gaza using the 
excuse of wiping out 'Hamas,' causing a large number of casualties 
among civilians.  Was this racism or not?  Anyone with a clear 
conscience will certainly not say no. ... 
 
"Is there racism in the United States itself?  This is also an 
ironclad fact; one could easily tell by looking at the status of 
black people in the United States.  African-Americans and 
Asian-Americans residing in the United States surely know very 
clearly that it is unlikely that such a racist mentality will be 
eliminated simply by the election of an African-American president. 
Obama has tried his best to lower his posture, and it was evident 
that he did not have an arrogant posture in the Summit of the 
Americas, as his predecessors did.  But [what was different] was 
only the posture, and in reality there is no way that U.S. foreign 
policy principles will be changed.  As an African- American, Obama 
still protects Israel and decided to boycott the UN Conference on 
Racism.  It is clear that, once the principles of a country's 
foreign policy are formed, it is very difficult to change them just 
because of a change of president." 
 
YOUNG