Cablegate: Media Reaction: Six-Party Talks and U.S.-China

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

020920Z Aug 05

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003217

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD -
ROBERT PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SIX-PARTY TALKS AND U.S.-CHINA
RELATIONS

1. Summary: The major Chinese-language Taipei dailies
focused their coverage August 2 on cross-Strait issues
and a Government Information Office's (GIO) decision to
deny seven cable TV channels broadcasting license
renewals, effectively suspending their operations
beginning August 3. The centrist "China Times" ran a
banner headline on its front page that read: "Seven TV
channels will go off the air starting tonight." The
newspaper also spent its first few pages covering the
administration's clarification of the decision, the
reactions of the seven TV channels and the call by
legislators to pass legislation on the establishment of
an independent media watchdog agency (i.e. a National
Communication Commission). The pro-unification "United
Daily News" and the pro-independence "Taiwan Daily"
both devoted all of their third pages to the issue,
while the pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's
biggest daily, used half of its page five covering the
news. Almost all the major Chinese-language newspapers
carried a half-page advertisement by the Eastern TV
Company criticizing the GIO's decision to deny its ETTV-
S news channel a renewal of its broadcasting license
and apologizing to its audience.

The Taipei dailies' reporting on cross-Strait issues
centered on the following two aspects: Premier Frank
Hsieh's remarks that the outlying island of Penghu may
be eligible to handle direct transportation to China;
and the arrival Monday in Shanghai of the first
shipment of duty-free Taiwan fruit to China. The
"United Daily News" printed on its front page a news
story with the headline: "Direct transportation between
Penghu to mainland [China] is set to be put into
practice next month." The other Chinese-language
newspapers all carried similar cross-Strait news in
their inside pages.

2. Several Taipei newspapers editorialized on the GIO's
decision not to renew the broadcasting licenses for
seven local TV stations and Taiwan's need to have an
independent media watchdog agency. An op-ed piece in
the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" discussed the
strategic implications of North Korea's nuclear program
on Taiwan. The article said Taiwan will be put in a
more difficult situation once Beijing agrees to
continue working with the United States to jointly
handle global, regional and bilateral issues. An
editorial in the limited-circulation, conservative, pro-
unification "China Post" discussed the first-ever U.S.-
China strategic dialogue (currently being held in
Beijing). The editorial concluded that for Taiwan, it
is better to be a non-flashpoint than to win diplomatic
recognition. End summary.

A) "The Strategic Implications of North Korea's Nuclear
Program on Taiwan"

Yu Pen-li, assistant professor at the Graduate
Institute of American Studies of Tamkang University,
noted in an op-ed piece of the mass-circulation "Apple
Daily" [circulation: 500,000] (8/2):

". Washington's grave concern over the situation in
Northeastern Asia has resulted in a series of
diplomatic mediation, of which the climax was U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's whirlwind visit

SIPDIS
to Beijing in early July. .

"In addition, under the lead of Deputy Secretary of
State Robert Zoellick, Washington started its first-
ever `U.S.-China Global Dialogue' with Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo in Beijing August 1-2.
The dialogue, plus Beijing's recent announcement to
revaluate the Renminbi, showed that Beijing has started
to pave the way for building a new strategic
relationship with the United States.

"Even though it appears on the surface that Beijing
wants to strengthen cooperation with Washington, its
ultimate strategic objective, however, seems to aim at
weakening the United States' position in the Asia-
Pacific region gradually by using a `friendly and
cooperative approach.' China even intends to
marginalize the United States in an attempt to
implement the `Chinese version of the Monroe Doctrine.'
Beijing's call in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
on Washington to withdraw U.S. military from Central
Asia as well as its attempt to hold an East Asian
Summit in Malaysia in December to propose the
establishment of an `East Asian community' are all
examples [to manifest Beijing's ambition].

"In short, any progress made concerning North Korea's
nuclear crisis is not totally irrelevant to Taiwan.
Taiwan must not be too optimistic when it looks to the
future if there is any breakthrough with regard to the
Six-Party Talks. [Should an agreement be made,] how is
every country involved going to carry out the
agreement? Also, what about the establishment of a
supervisory mechanism and framework? [Evidently,]
there will be plenty of opportunities for Beijing to
lay its hand on and exert its influence, and it will
help Beijing to implement its strategic layout as
planned by the Chinese version of the Monroe Doctrine.
In other words, once Beijing agrees to continue working
with the United States to jointly handle global,
regional and bilateral issues, Taiwan will be put in a
more difficult situation. Can Taiwan prevent the trend
of allowing Washington and Beijing to jointly handle
the Taiwan issue in the future? This seems to be a
more serious topic than the sell of Taiwan fruit to
China."

B) "U.S.-China Strategic Dialogue"

The conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized (8/2):

"The first U.S.-China strategic dialogue, a platform
initiated by Beijing last year, was inaugurated in
Beijing yesterday. . The Beijing meeting is expected
to cover Japan, North Korea, bilateral trade, energy
and the anti-terror fight, after the more difficult
Taiwan issue.

"The Vientiane meeting [i.e. ASEAN Regional Forum held
in Lao], while pledging to defuse regional conflicts
through diplomacy, was widely criticized for excluding
Taiwan, which is `the region's most worrying
flashpoint.' Asian security arrangements can't be
complete without Taiwan.

"But for the island, it is better to be a non-
flashpoint than winning diplomatic recognition."

PAAL

© Scoop Media