VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0826/01 1880905
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070905Z JUL 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1914
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9279
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0712

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000826 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, 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, OBAMA AND RUSSIA 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused their 
news coverage July 7 on the riots and street battles that broke out 
in China's Xinjiang region Sunday; on the legal cases involving 
former President Chen Shui-bian and his family; and on the 
developments in cross-Strait relations.  In terms of editorials and 
commentaries, a column in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" 
discussed former AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young's mission in 
Taiwan.  The article concluded by saying that Young loves Taiwan and 
considers himself a "new Taiwan man," yet he was sent to Taiwan as 
an envoy at the wrong time to implement the Bush administration's 
mistaken policies that were accommodating to China and in the 
meantime restraining Taiwan's democracy.  A separate "Liberty Times" 
op-ed piece also discussed Young's recent remarks on U.S. arms sales 
to Taiwan and urged Taiwan legislators not to postpone Taiwan's arms 
procurements.  With regard to U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to 
Russia, a column in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" 
discussed Obama's comments on Russian leaders prior to his visit. 
The article called the comments an open stratagem of Obama to sow 
discord between leaders in Russia.  End summary. 
 
¶2. U.S.-Taiwan Relations 
 
A) "Stephen Young's Mistaken Mission" 
 
Freelancer James Wang wrote in a column in the pro-independence 
"Liberty Times" [circulation: 700,000] (7/7): 
 
"If Taiwan is a normal democracy, [former AIT Director] Stephen 
Young, who loves Taiwan passionately, should have been able to bring 
U.S.-Taiwan relations to a perfect and harmonious state.  Yet he 
came to Taiwan at the wrong time to implement policies to which he 
may not necessarily agree.   The mission of an envoy stationed 
abroad is to foster the bilateral friendly relationship, but Young 
was under orders to restrain Taiwan's democracy, smother [Taiwan's] 
referenda and to punish [former Taiwan President] Chen Shui-bian for 
his insistence on holding the referenda by intentionally creating 
difficulties for his transits in the United States. 
 
"It is somewhat cruel that Young, who has experienced the 
dictatorship of Taiwan, was ordered to implement policies of the 
Bush administration, which accommodated China and deviated from 
democratic values.  He had no power to influence Washington rather 
he took orders to suppress Chen's efforts to break through the 
adverse circumstances that Taiwan was in, thus creating tensions in 
U.S.-Taiwan relations.  This was a major setback for his mission in 
Taipei.  On the other hand, the KMT, by manipulating [the tactics 
of] 'joining hands with China to counter the United States,' had 
more than once violated its promises and boycotted the arms 
procurement budgets.  Moreover, the KMT ridiculed Young's 
painstaking [efforts to] communicate [with the KMT] about Taiwan's 
security as moves to force upon Taiwan the purchase of [U.S.] 
armaments.  [The KMT] did not admit its mistakes of treating 
[Taiwan's] national security as a political game until Young 
departed from the post. 
 
"The conflicts of the two lines -- the DPP's attempts to seek 
democracy and turning [Taiwan] into a normal country, and the KMT's 
[goal] of 'ultimate unification' [with China] -- have made Young 
blamed or ostracized by both sides.  The United States has no 
intention to 'annex' Taiwan; rather, it wants to assist Taiwan to 
resist China's annexation [attempts].  Since Ma Ying-jeou was born, 
the intimacy of U.S.-Taiwan relations has never been something that 
can be comparable to the hostile relationship between Taiwan and 
China.  Young's departure remarks, however, spelled out a change in 
the situation:  Namely, he believes that U.S.-Taiwan relations need 
not compete against China-Taiwan relations, rather, they will enable 
Taiwan to explore its relations with China with confidence.  The 
truth is that the double mistaken policies of the United States and 
the Ma administration are making Beijing-Taipei ties surpass those 
between the United States and Taiwan. ... 
 
"As a matter of fact, what Young should have been more concerned 
with are the obstacles China has created for Washington-Taipei ties. 
 The real problem in U.S.-Taiwan relations is that China wants to 
restrict Washington's relations with Taipei, and Washington is 
accommodating itself to China's requests, thus hindering the 
genuinely parallel developments of U.S.-Taiwan relations and 
U.S.-China relations.  Young has a heart that loves Taiwan and he 
called himself a 'new Taiwan man.'  But he came to Taiwan as an 
envoy at the wrong time to implement mistaken policies that were 
accommodating to China and restraining Taiwan's democracy.  This 
should be a deep regret for his public service career." 
 
 
B) "The Class [of Teaching] of Stephen Young!" 
 
Colonel Liao Nian-han, director of the Tainan Military Prison, 
opined in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 
700,000] (7/7): 
 
 
"AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young said during his pre-departure 
press conference that it is an indisputable fact that despite the 
warming situation across the Taiwan Strait, Beijing has deployed 
more missiles [targeting Taiwan].  What makes this writer feel bad 
was that Young, out of concern for the imbalance in military 
strength in the Taiwan Strait, tried his best [to promote] arms 
sales three years ago.  But he was not only criticized for the 'arms 
procurement for the wealthy fool,' but was also requested by some 
Blue legislators that he be called back by Washington.  Yet the fact 
that makes one unsure whether to cry or to laugh was that a 
legislator told him during his farewell party that 'Your original 
position (in urging Taiwan's Legislative Yuan quickly to pass the 
arms procurement budget) was right; we should not have reacted like 
that.  But that is how politics is played.' ... 
 
"Taiwan's arms procurements have undergone many difficulties and 
frustrations, ... and both the ruling and opposition parties are 
well aware of that. ...  As a result, this writer would like to 
request earnestly all the legislators that while monitoring the 
'military nationalization,' why not also 'nationalize [Taiwan's] 
arms procurements.'  Please do not let the next Stephen Young -- 
namely, William Stanton (Young's designated successor) -- laugh at 
the foolishness of our arms procurement!" 
 
¶3. Obama and Russia 
 
"Obama's Open Stratagem to Sow Discord between Russian Leaders" 
 
The "International Lookout" column in the centrist, KMT-leaning 
"China Times" [circulation: 120,000] wrote (7/7): 
 
"U.S. President Barack Obama is now visiting Russia.  His talks with 
Russian leaders have yet to begin, but it is generally expected that 
there will unlikely be any ground-breaking results.  Nonetheless, 
Obama's comments on the Russian leadership prior to his departure 
astounded the international community.  Why? ...  Obama's way of 
putting down [Prime Minister Vladimir] Putin and praising [President 
Dmitry] Medvedev was practically an open stratagem rather than a 
scheme to sow discord [between the two Russian leaders].  Given 
Obama's intelligence, how could he not realize the latent danger of 
the move on [the United States'] relations with Russia?  Can this be 
viewed as the smart diplomacy upheld by the European regime?  [In 
reality,] Obama is not that bad or reckless; he has his own plans 
and understanding. ... 
 
"[Obama's move] has three advantages:  First, it will be great if 
Medvedev can stand firm and get rid of the impediment of Putin. 
Second, if Medvedev is just a temporary [president] and Putin will 
become the president two years from now, Medvedev may not be in such 
a good mood.  But if Medvedev is indeed a moderate, it will not be 
too bad to have [him] as a potential support.  Third, if Obama fails 
to get what he wants, it is still worthwhile sowing discord between 
Medvedev and Putin.  If the relationship between Medvedev and Putin 
is far more harmonious than what Washington has originally 
estimated, the open stratagem of Obama's will be too risky.  But 
there is danger inherent in the U.S.-Russia relationship anyway. 
Obama said Putin is keeping one foot in the Cold War era, but 
actually for the American people, their feet have never left the 
Cold War [era]. ...  Since the United States is not willing to offer 
a smiling face to Russia and has never attempted to hide its actions 
to restrain Russia, it would not create more dangers to the 
diplomatic affairs between the United States and Russia by offending 
Putin." 
 
WANG