VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1110 2570819
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140819Z SEP 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2301
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9383
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0810

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001110 
 
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: COUNTERTERRORISM 
 
Summary:  Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused September 
12-14 news coverage on the verdicts concerning former President Chen 
Shui-bian's corruption case, on the H1N1 epidemic in Taiwan, and on 
the reconstruction in areas hit by Typhoon Morakot.  In terms of 
editorials and commentaries, a news analysis in the KMT-leaning 
"China Times" commented on the latest announcement by United States 
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States and China 
are to expand their dialogue to cover counterterrorism.  The news 
analysis said the cooperation is probably because the United States 
and China both have noticed that terrorist forces in the Middle East 
and in "East Turkistan" might converge.  China has also realized 
that only by working with the United States can China eradicate the 
threat posed by the terrorism, separatism and extremism.  End 
summary. 
 
"Countering Terrorism, China and the United States Might Open the 
Dialogue" 
 
Journalist Wang Ming-yi noted in an analysis in the KMT-leaning 
"China Times" [circulation: 120,000] (9/12): 
 
"United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and China's 
National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo attended a business 
forum in Washington, D.C., on September 10.  While delivering her 
speech, Clinton revealed that the United States and China might hold 
talks on counterterrorism this fall. ... 
 
"On the eighth anniversary of the 'September 11th incident,' Clinton 
revealed that China and the United States are going to open a 
dialogue on counterterrorism.  One cannot help wondering whether it 
is because Washington expects China to play a more robust role in 
international counterterrorism efforts or because Beijing, when 
facing the Lhasa incident [of March 14, 2008] and the Urumqi 
incident [of July 5, 2009] is purposely seeks [the help of] 
Washington to eradicate the international terrorism forces behind 
the Tibetan and Xinjiang independent movements. ... 
 
"What prompted China and the United States to return to the ground 
of [cooperation in] counterterrorism established during the 
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shanghai [in 
October 2001]; open the dialogue on counterterrorism; and seek new 
measures to jointly fight against terrorism was probably the fact 
that the two countries once again realize that the international 
terrorist forces that China and the United States jointly face, 
which are the terrorist forces in the Middle East and in East 
Turkistan, might integrate and connect with one another. ... 
 
"The 'three forces [which are terrorism, separatism, and 
extremism],' in Central Asia are the extreme forces which refuse to 
abide by norms in the international community.  The threat and 
infiltration of Xinjiang posed by the East Turkistan forces have 
apparently become a major worry to the Beijing authorities.  It 
seems that for China, in addition to defending its border areas and 
maintaining stability among ethnic groups, the only correct path is 
to seek cooperation with the United States to establish an 
international counterterrorism battle line." 
 
STANTON