VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0528/01 1210848
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 010848Z MAY 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1501
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 9146
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0135
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0668
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L AIT TAIPEI 000528 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USDA FOR FAS/OSTA BLUM, HAMILTON; FAS/OCRA 
RADLER, BEILLARD; FAS/OFSO WAINIO, AND APHIS/IS AND VS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/29/2019 
TAGS: EAGR ECON ELAB EPA ILO IMO IO KJUS PGOV PREL
TW, CH 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN FOREIGN MINISTRY MULLING NEXT STEPS ON 
INTERNATIONAL SPACE 
 
REF: TAIPEI 510 
 
Classified By: Director Stephen M. Young for Reasons 1.4(B) and (D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) 
is consulting with other agencies to prioritize Taiwan's 
international space needs and develop recommendations on next 
steps now that Taiwan has been invited to observe at this 
year's World Health Assembly. MOFA International 
Organizations (IO) Department Deputy Director General Lily 
Hsu told Taiwan Coordination Desk Deputy Director Deena 
Parker in an April 30 meeting that Taiwan is most likely to 
push next for a bigger role in the International Civil 
Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Maritime 
Organization (IMO), or the International Criminal Police 
Organization (Interpol).  Although Taiwan would like to 
participate in the UN Framework for Climate Convention 
(UNFCCC), this is not possible under the old rubric, where 
Taiwan NGO Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is 
labeled a "Chinese" organization.  Hsu also asked for U.S. 
help in warding off further PRC encroachment on Taiwan's 
interests and status in the World Organization for Animal 
Health (OIE).  End summary. 
 
International Space "Next Step" Unclear 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) MOFA International Organizations Department DDG Lily 
Hsu expressed appreciation for the U.S. public statement of 
support for Taiwan's participation in the World Health 
Assembly (WHA) this May.  She noted that such support was 
essential to continuing Taiwan's efforts to expand its 
meaningful participation in various international 
organizations crucial to the interests of Taiwan's people. 
Although Taiwan has succeeded in its goal of obtaining 
observer status in the May 18-27 WHA meeting (reftel), it has 
no clear "next step" on international space at this time, Hsu 
told EAP/TC Deputy Director Deena Parker.  To avoid a 
scattershot approach and focus Taiwan's diplomatic energies, 
MOFA is in the process of interagency consultations to 
determine and prioritize Taiwan's international space needs. 
The idea, Hsu said, is to develop a list of international 
organizations in which expanded participation would bring 
tangible benefits to the people of Taiwan.  When this process 
is finished, MOFA will submit its recommendations to the 
Executive Yuan.  At this point, said Hsu, Taiwan's most 
pressing needs are in the areas of aviation, maritime issues, 
law enforcement cooperation, and environmental topics.  Based 
on that, Hsu said, ICAO, IMO, and Interpol are seen as the 
most promising candidates for the "next steps" after WHA. 
 
¶3. (C) Taiwan's ministries and agencies are not waiting for 
MOFA's approval, however, to solicit U.S. support for Taiwan 
participation in international organizations relating to 
their particular purviews.  For example, in a May 1 meeting 
with Parker to discuss Taiwan's anti-trafficking in persons 
(TIP) efforts, National Immigration Agency (NIA) Director 
General Hsieh Li-kung asked for U.S. support and advice on 
how Taiwan could participate in the International 
Organization of Migration (IOM). 
 
¶4. (C) MOFA is not naive enough to believe that gaining WHA 
observership this year means everything is open to Taiwan 
now, Hsu said.  They had heard from other sources that 
Beijing considers Taiwan's WHA participation to be an 
exception.  Beijing does not want a spillover effect to other 
international organizations, Hsu concluded. 
 
Previous Framework for UNFCCC Participation Unacceptable 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶5. (C) MOFA's review of how Taiwan engages in international 
organizations has revealed some problems, Hsu said.  For 
example, for more than ten years Taiwan has tried to 
participate in the UN Framework for Climate Change Convention 
(UNFCCC).  The problem is that the Taiwan-based NGO 
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) participates 
in the Framework, but has been designated a "Chinese" 
organization.  Despite support from the United States and 
others, the PRC has blocked Taiwan's efforts to have ITRI 
participate in the UNFCCC as a Taiwan NGO. 
 
 
Holding Off the PRC at OIE 
-------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) Taiwan has been a longstanding and productive member 
of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for many 
decades, said Hsu.  Since the PRC joined, despite OIE's best 
efforts to avoid controversy and support Taiwan's continued 
meaningful participation, there have been disagreements over 
Taiwan's member status and nomenclature.  Most recently, 
Beijing blocked OIE efforts to dodge the question of 
sovereignty by referring to all participants as "members" 
(rather than "member states").  Likewise, Beijing is pushing 
for the establishment of a Credentialing Committee to review 
members' qualifications, which Taiwan is concerned would 
result in MOFA officials being blocked from participating in 
OIE sessions.  These are clearly PRC efforts, said Hsu, to 
exert influence over Taiwan's participation and to further 
degrade its status. 
 
¶8. (C) While Taiwan is willing to discuss reasonable 
measures, implementation is a key concern.  For example, 
would MOFA-issued credentials still be accepted?  Would 
Taiwan's participation in OIE's administrative elections 
continue?  Taiwan may need to coordinate with the U.S. 
delegation in advance of the meeting, said Hsu, and may 
approach Washington on these and other issues ahead of the 
OIE's May meeting. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶9. (C)  The good news on WHA observership makes the question 
of "What next?" relevant and timely.  President Ma and MOFA 
understand that one key to Taiwan's success with WHA was the 
clear value - in terms of improved public health on Taiwan 
and globally - that greater participation should bring. 
MOFA's initial list of priorities for "next steps" suggests 
that this same calculation will apply as Taiwan moves 
forward.  MOFA clearly does not expect the floodgates to now 
open, and believes that expanding Taiwan's international 
space will involve painstaking, organization-by-organization 
negotiation.  On a very practical level, it is clear that 
MOFA is already overtaxed at the current tempo of operations. 
 Hsu commented that not many officers want to stay for long 
in the IO Department because of the heavy workload.  It may 
take some time before a clear consensus on what Taiwan's next 
target(s) will be on international space.  Meanwhile, we 
expect to continue to be approached by Taiwan agencies 
looking to push their cause to the front of the queue. 
YOUNG