VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0530/01 1210948
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010948Z MAY 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1507
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9152
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0587

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000530 
 
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: TAIWAN'S OBSERVER STATUS AT WHA 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused May 1 
news coverage on the world's upgraded alert on the H1N1 flu outbreak 
and the Taiwan government's anti-epidemic plan; on Taiwan's observer 
status at this year's World Health Assembly (WHA); and on the surge 
of the Taiwan Stock Exchange index Thursday after Taiwan said 
Chinese institutional investors are allowed to buy Taiwan stocks. 
 
¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an op-ed in the 
pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed the rapid development of 
cross-Strait relations over the past year.  The article concluded 
that, while both the Obama Administration and the Ma Ying-jeou 
Administration race to improve their relations with China, they have 
"overlooked the growing imbalance across the Taiwan Strait and the 
question of how to address the challenges to 
Washington-Beijing-Taipei ties brought about by the change in the 
larger environment."  An editorial in the mass-circulation "Apple 
Daily" discussed Taiwan's observer status at the WHA this year and 
said that, even though Taiwan is said to joined the WHA as an 
observer, it is an acceptable development judged from a realistic 
perspective.  Editorials in the pro-unification "United Daily News," 
the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times," and the conservative, 
pro-unification, English-language "China Post" all hailed the fact 
that Taiwan is able to participate in this year's WHA as an 
observer.  An editorial in the pro-independence, English-language 
"Taipei Times," however, called the WHA's invitation a sweet poison 
that will eventually push Taiwan another step toward unification 
with China.  End summary. 
 
A) " Is the United States Losing Control of the Cross-Strait 
Situation?" 
 
Lin Cheng-yi, a research fellow at the Academia Sinica's Institute 
of European and American Studies, opined in the pro-independence 
"Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] (5/1): 
 
"... The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are now facing the greatest 
and most rapid improvement in their mutual relations over the past 
six decades.  Observers in the United States, China and Taiwan have 
noted the burgeoning imbalance between the two sides in terms of 
politics, economics, military and mentality.  The opposition DPP, no 
matter whether they try to restrain or boycott, can hardly change 
the overall situation.  Beijing, meanwhile, is strengthening its 
all-out contact with Taiwan via the three platforms -- the KMT-CCP 
forum, the talks between Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) 
and China's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait 
(ARATS), and the forum between civil society across the Taiwan 
Strait.  In Taiwan, however, two different sets of political views 
regarding the island's China policy are emerging and appear to 
diverge more and more. ... 
 
"The increasing imbalance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait 
in terms of politics, economics, military and mentality has created 
a series of challenges for U.S. policy.  A view generally held by 
the United States is that the Ma Administration is alleviating its 
political tension with China, but the new strategy is not without 
risk.  How is the U.S. government going to address the unprecedented 
development in [the relations] across the Taiwan Strait, or is it 
able to address the case of the Economic Cooperation Framework 
Agreement (ECFA) only and passively indicate that the agreement must 
not endanger U.S. interests in Taiwan?  Beijing, [on the other 
hand,] in addition to the significantly relaxed economic and 
political relations with Taiwan, wants to exclude the role of the 
United States in the military confidence-building mechanism and 
peace pact between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. ... 
 
"Former AIT Chairman Richard Bush admitted that China's rise has 
made it more complicated for both the United States and Taiwan to 
maintain a common strategic view.  What Bush kept without saying was 
that China's rise, plus the enhanced power on Beijing's part to 
dictate cross-Strait relations, have reduced the United States' 
influence in Taiwan affairs.  The Clinton Administration was unable 
to control communications between the secret envoys across the 
Taiwan Strait, and the Obama Administration also finds it difficult 
to control the details of cross-Strait negotiations.  The top 
priority for the Obama Administration and the Ma Administration in 
terms of their [respective] foreign policy is to race to improve 
relations with China, but they have both overlooked the growing 
imbalance across the Taiwan Strait and the question of how to 
address the challenges to Washington-Beijing-Taipei ties brought 
about by the change in the larger environment." 
 
B) "Yes, [Taiwan's WHA Observer Status] Is Sad, But What Else Can be 
Done?" 
 
The mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] 
editorialized (5/1): 
 
"With China's approval, Taiwan is able to attend the World Health 
Assembly in the capacity of observer.  Even though Taiwan felt 
 
frustrated and [believed this was] unfair, it has finally managed to 
make a stride toward the international community.  It is, generally 
speaking, acceptable, judging from a realistic perspective. ...  Ma 
Ying-jeou said we should ignore history but pay attention to 
geography, and such is realism. ...  Taiwan must get itself to 
return to ground zero and start with the smallest achievement; if it 
can get observer status, then observer status it is.  As long as it 
does not touch on the core of Taiwan's sovereignty, it gives no 
cause for much criticism if the island has to make some peripheral 
concessions.  Yes, it is sad, but what else can be done?" 
 
C) "[Taiwan's] Participation in the WHA:  A Major Achievement with 
Disappointment" 
 
The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000] 
editorialized (5/1): 
 
"... Taiwan was invited to participate in the World Health Assembly, 
and such a development showed both nominal and substantive 
significance. ...  Even though one must not exaggerate the 
significance of such a development [for Taiwan], as there is 
disappointment in the aspect that it is only 'observer status' 
judged on 'an year-to-year basis,' and under the name of 'Chinese 
Taipei,' being able to achieve such a state is not easy. 
Pragmatically speaking, Taiwan has got hold of a valid pass for its 
bid to join the international community. ... 
 
"With regard to this breakthrough, if it is viewed as one of the 
results of President Ma Ying-jeou's 'modus vivendi' foreign policy, 
then an obvious factor behind it is a so-called 'goodwill' gesture 
of Beijing. ... If both sides of the Taiwan Strait hope to reach a 
peace pact, and given that the Beijing authorities will surely not 
abandon the 'one China' framework, the room for both sides 'to 
express or interpret' ['one China'] should at least be kept.  That 
way it can fill the basis for both sides to 'interact' on an equal 
footing; not to block Taiwan's role in the international community 
is one way to show that Beijing is turning its 'goodwill' into a 
real gesture of 'sincerity.' ..." 
 
D) "Taiwan Should Have More Confidence in Itself" 
 
The centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 130,000] 
editorialized (5/1): 
 
"... Even though the formal name of our country was not used, the 
invitation [from the World Health Organization] has not only 
recognized the official status of our country's Department of Health 
(DOH) and its chief but has also invited the DOH to participate in 
the World Health Assembly.  We have gained respect and recognition 
in terms of the bottom line of sovereignty and dignity on which we 
insisted, so this is a rare breakthrough. ...  Beijing's willingness 
to loosen its grip is the main reason behind such a breakthrough. 
Being able to agree that Taiwan is invited with the official titles 
of the DOH and DOH minister showed that Beijing has adjusted its 
previous strategy in hopes that the Taiwan people will feel its 
goodwill. ..." 
 
E) "WHA Invite Shows Progress" 
 
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language "China Post" 
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (5/1): 
 
"For the first time since the ROC government was expelled from the 
United Nations in 1971, representatives of Taipei will be seated at 
the World Health Assembly (WHA) when it convenes in Geneva later 
this month for its annual meeting. ... The moniker [in the 
invitation] marked a major change from the United Nations-affiliated 
body's previous practice of referring to the ROC government as 
'Taiwan, China' or 'Taiwan, province of China.'  More importantly, 
this was the first time that the DOH was invited to the WHA since 
the government first began seeking participation in 1997." 
 
F) "WHA's Invitation Is Sweet Poison" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 
30,000] editorialized (5/1): 
 
"One short faxed letter from WHO Director-General Margaret Chan 
inviting 'Chinese Taipei' to participate in this month's World 
Health Assembly (WHA) brought an end to 13 years of disappointment 
on Tuesday when Taiwan finally achieved its goal of representation 
at the WHO.  The government predictably patted itself on the back, 
attributing the watershed to its 'modus vivendi' policy of not 
provoking China, and sought to demonstrate that it had not 
compromised Taiwan's sovereignty to gain this achievement.  But at 
what cost was this 'breakthrough' achieved?  The very fact that 
Taiwan had to be invited and was not admitted in the usual manner is 
the first cause for concern. The invitation came after secret 
negotiations last month between representatives from Taipei and 
 
Beijing. And while many in Taiwan will be pleased with the result, 
it is imperative that the government stick to its March 13 promise 
that it will release information at an appropriate time about how 
this was achieved. ... 
 
"People should not be content with reassurances that this is just 
the latest example of Beijing's 'goodwill' if such goodwill is 
conditional on the Taiwanese government considering itself part of 
China.  While 'Chinese Taipei' may be an acceptable name to the 
government, to the rest of the world it implies that Taiwan is under 
Beijing's heel. ...  Another problem is that the invitation only 
applies to this year. Fears that the invitation will need renewing 
on an annual basis seem to have been confirmed. This is a worrying 
development as it means Beijing will now have the ability to hold 
Taiwanese and their health concerns to a form of ransom. How long 
will it be before we start seeing election slogans such as 'Vote 
KMT, stay in the WHA?' 
While many people may be happy about what they see as the fruits of 
President Ma Ying-jeou's cross-strait labor, they may not be so 
ecstatic when they realize this government has pushed them another 
step toward unification." 
 
YOUNG