VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1040/01 2390923
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 270923Z AUG 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2197
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9356
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0786

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001040 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - THOMAS HAMM 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: NORTH KOREA, U.S.-CHINA-TAIWAN RELATIONS 
 
¶1. Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news 
coverage August 27 on the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus in Taiwan 
and the Taiwan government's plan to cope with the threat of the 
epidemic; on the possible visit by the Dalai Lama to Taiwan to pray 
for the victims of Typhoon Morakot; and on U.S. Senator Edward 
Kennedy, who passed away in Massachusetts Tuesday.  In terms of 
editorials and commentaries, a column in the KMT-leaning "China 
Times" predicted that the Six-Party talks will survive in name only, 
and the United States and North Korea will hold bilateral talks to 
resolve their problems.  An op-ed piece in the pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times," on the other hand, discussed the 
United States' humanitarian assistance for Taiwan in the wake of 
Typhoon Morakot.  The article said if Washington could "mobilize so 
quickly for disaster relief efforts, then of course it could do the 
same in the event of conflict [in the Taiwan Strait]."  End summary. 
 
 
¶2. North Korea 
 
"The Six-Party Talks Will Survive in Name Only" 
 
The "International Lookout" column in the KMT-leaning "China Times" 
[circulation: 120,000] wrote (8/27): 
 
"Will the Six-Party talks on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue 
continue to survive in the future?  It is a complex issue, but if 
one has to make a generalized conclusion about the matter, one can 
say that the Six-Party talks will survive in name only.  Only in 
this way can the barriers to talks between the United States and 
North Korea be removed. ...  The spokesman for the U.S. State 
Department made an honest comment yesterday:  'We cannot take away 
the rights of the other four parties, [because] this is a regional 
security issue.'  The United States can ignore China and Russia, but 
it has to care about Japan and South Korea.  Let's just imagine: 
Will the two 'allies' -- Japan and South Korea -- trust the United 
States faithfully if the latter completely bypasses them?  As a 
result, Japan and South Korea must be involved in the nuclear issue 
on the Korean Peninsula [in one way or another], even if their 
rights [to the issue] are confirmed retroactively afterwards, or 
they are forced to acknowledge the conclusions reached in the 
bilateral talks [between Washington and Pyongyang] in the future. 
 
"If Washington talks to Pyongyang about such a difficult [matter], 
the latter will have to take notice of the United States' position. 
In any case, it will be like putting on a show.  Consequently, the 
structure of the Six-Party talks will remain.  On the surface, the 
talks will act like the key to resolving the problem, but in 
reality, the United States and North Korea will be able to act 
freely -- they can call a Six-Party meeting if they have some 
announcements to make, and they can keep it confidential if they 
don't.  No matter whether the bilateral talks will succeed or not, 
the Six-Party talks will have to swallow whatever results [from the 
bilateral talks] anyway." 
 
¶3. U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations 
 
"Disasters Tell Us Who Our Friends Really Are" 
 
Media commentator James Wang opined in the pro-independence, 
English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (8/27): 
 
"The government is asking the public not to 'overinterpret' its 
negligent handling of the disaster relief effort in southern Taiwan 
and its initial rejection of foreign aid before accepting US 
assistance.  President Ma Ying-jeou, however, insists that US 
assistance is a sign of restored trust between Taiwan and the US. 
The unspoken implication, of course, is that if former president 
Chen Shui-bian and his administration had still been in power, the 
US would have stood by and watched Taiwanese die. ... 
 
"The US' actions and a number of phrases used by its officials, such 
as 'humanitarian assistance' and assisting 'the Taiwanese people,' 
as well as a statement that there is 'no need to inform China,' 
highlight the significance of this assistance.  The Taiwan Relations 
Act (TRA) stipulates that the US shall 'resist any resort to force 
or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or 
the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan,' making it a 
matter of legal implementation. The US does not recognize Taiwan as 
part of the People's Republic of China, so it does not have to 
inform China of its actions.  The US' disaster aid gives a clear 
response to the question of who Taiwan's friends and enemies really 
are.  The US makes no territorial claims on Taiwan, and the TRA 
provides unilateral protection for Taiwan's security and well-being, 
while China wishes to annex Taiwan, with its 'Anti-Secession' Law 
threatening the use of force. ... 
 
"The US' display was also a show of strength as far as China's 
military was concerned. If the US could mobilize so quickly for 
disaster relief efforts, then of course it could do the same in the 
 
event of conflict. ...  The significance of the US' disaster aid 
does not lie in mutual trust.  Instead, it proves the folly of the 
government's policy to move closer to China and distance itself from 
the US.  The TRA allows the US to assist Taiwan, and the US is the 
friend that will help to protect Taiwanese freedom and democracy." 
 
WANG