Cablegate: Media Reaction: North Korea, U.S. Arms Sales
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
212315Z Sep 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TAIPEI 003896
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - ERIC
BARBORIAK
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: NORTH KOREA, U.S. ARMS SALES
TO TAIWAN
1. Summary: Major Chinese-language Taipei dailies
focused their coverage September 21 on Premier Frank
Hsieh's administrative report before the Legislative
Yuan and his argument with KMT Legislator and former
Kaohsiung Mayor Wu over the city's mass rapid transit
system; a scandal concerning a Taipei City Government
official who allegedly was having an affair with his
secretary; President Chen's extended stopover in
SIPDIS
Alaska; and U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
Richard Lawless' statement (delivered by U.S. Defense
Security Cooperation Agency's Security Cooperation
Operations Principal Director Edward Ross at the 2005
U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference Monday)
concerning Taiwan's blocked arms procurement bill. The
pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's biggest
daily, ran a banner headline on its front page on
Lawless' statement that read: "U.S. official warns that
the United States has no obligation to defend Taiwan."
All the other Chinese-language newspapers also carried
news stories in their inside page on Lawless'
statement, Taiwan legislators' reactions to his
statement, and the pan-Blue alliance's successful
blocking of the U.S. arms procurement bill in the
Legislative Yuan for the 29th time.
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an opinion
piece in the centrist "China Times" and an editorial in
the pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" both discussed the
agreements reached at the Six-Party Talks Monday. The
opinion piece by Taiwan Think Tank's Foreign Policy
Studies Director Lai I-chug described the talks as
Beijing and Pyongyang joining hands to thwart the
United States' diplomatic efforts in the Asia-Pacific
area. The editorial urged Taiwan to pay attention to
China's increasingly important role in the talks and
its attempt to crush Taiwan. An editorial in the
limited-circulation, conservative, pro-unification,
English-language "China Post," however, raised the
question of whether the method of bringing in outside
parties to resolve the nuclear problem on the Korean
Peninsula can be used to resolve the Taiwan issue. In
terms of Lawless' statement and the U.S. arms
procurement bill, Washington correspondent Nadia Tao
said in a new analysis in the "Liberty Times" that what
Taiwan needs to be concerned about is its loss of
minimum deterrence capabilities and the respect of the
island's American friends. End summary.
1. North Korea
A) "Beijing, Pyongyang Working Together to Thwart the
United States"
Lai I-chug, Foreign Policy Studies Director of the
Taiwan Think Tank, commented in an opinion piece in the
centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation:
400,000] (9/21):
"The fourth round of the Six-Party Talks reached a
consensus on `agreements on some principles' seven days
after they resumed meeting. But judged from the
contents of these agreements, the United States is the
biggest loser while China and North Korea have both
attained major achievements. It would be appropriate
to say that both China and North Korea have joined
hands to thwart the United States' diplomatic efforts
in the Asia-Pacific area severely. .
"In fact, when Washington got defeated in the fourth
round of `the talks over the Korean Peninsula's nuclear
program,' it also missed the best timing to handle the
nuclear weapons of North Korea. In the `agreements of
principles,' the parties involved agreed to leave the
nuclear weapon issue unresolved until future talks.
They simply procrastinated the problem and sat idly for
it to brew and heat up. When Washington signed this
muddle-worded agreement, it even boasted unabashedly by
calling it a major breakthrough. Washington's attitude
was like telling the Asian countries that the United
States has no intention to resolve the problems in Asia-
Pacific. It also made Iran realize that as long as it
really possesses nuclear weapons, with China's support
it could easily walk out of the window of nuclear
weapons. Washington's `non-proliferation' credibility
was completely destroyed by the results of the talks,
and it would help nothing but perhaps accelerating the
pace for a nuclear weapon race in the future.
"China, which shows no interest in dealing with North
Korea's nuclear problem, is the biggest winner in this
round of talks. Beijing, which was originally the one
that suffered greatest pressure in the fourth round of
talks, regained control of the talks by shifting the
focus of the meetings to signing an agreement on
principles. It has also succeeded in keeping the talks
go on without falling apart, thus avoiding a direct
showdown with the United States at the United Nations.
Moreover, it sought to restrain Japan via Pyongyang by
hosting the talks and controlling the security agenda
of Northeast Asia, and thereby further bogging down the
`U.S.-Japan alliance.' Judged from this result,
Beijing's strategy is a real success. .
"For Taiwan, the island should be alerted by the U.S.
State Department's attitude in handling the Asia-
Pacific affairs, as demonstrated in the way it handled
the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula this time.
In fact, given the current situation in the State
Department where some of its old staffers have left but
the new ones have yet to assume position, a very
dangerous symptom is occurring with regard to
Washington's management of the Asia-Pacific region.
The fact that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
failed to attend the ASEAN summit has led to suspicion
by the ASEAN nations about whether Washington really
attaches great importance to the Asia-Pacific region. .
Washington's defeated concessions made during this
round of the Six-Party Talks simply to keep the talks
go on gave people the impression that the State
Department seems to be lacking a comprehensive
strategic view toward the region and has no
implementation ability at all. ."
B) "Six-Party Talks Reach a Consensus, But There Is
Still a Long Way to Lasting Peace in Northeastern
Asia."
The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" [circulation:
100,000] editorialized (9/21):
". Even though Taiwan is not a participant in the Six-
Party Talks, nor is it directly involved in the
tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the island must still
be gravely concerned and alert about the situation
development on the peninsula. .
"We particularly need to pay more attention to the
increasingly important role played by China in the
multi-lateral talks that involved multiple
organizations. As China has gradually developed itself
into the world's factory, attracting huge foreign
investments, selling its goods around the whole globe,
and accumulating numerous fortunes and resources, it
has become an irreversible trend that China will play
an increasingly significant role on the international
stage. China is also using every means it can to take
advantage of its superiority to contain and isolate
Taiwan. The Beijing government has a comprehensive,
well-planned strategy in an attempt to crush Taiwan
from inside."
C) "Can North Korea Nuclear Pact Serve as Model for
Taiwan?"
The conservative, pro-unification, English-language
"China Post" [circulation: 30,000] editorialized
(9/21):
"If the landmark agreement on energy aid for North
Korea's promise to abandon its nuclear-weapons programs
- reached at the six-party talks on Tuesday in the host-
capital Beijing - can be backed up by enforceable
implementation plans expected o be worked out in a
follow-up meeting in November, it will lead to the
elimination of a major flashpoint in this part of the
world.
"If so, the world will naturally shift its attention to
another potential tinderbox in the region: Taiwan. But
will it be possible that the method of bringing in
third parties to jointly persuade North Korea into
giving up its nuclear aspirations in the interest of
peace and stability be used to resolve the issue of
Taiwan? .
"Such tensions [in Taiwan] are potentially explosive
and need to be tackled at source. Given that,
mediation by major world powers appears to be the best
possible approach in the absence of effective efforts
by Taipei and Beijing to settle their contentious
ideological differences. .
"Undoubtedly, the United States is the country most
appropriate, and most influential, to play a role in
mediating the political differences between Taiwan and
China. But Washington has been reluctant to take on
such a job, a position far different from its policy on
North Korea. .
"But this Washington policy of wanting to preserve the
political status quo does not go far enough to
effectively deal with the independence issue, thus
unable to remove the fuse of tensions that have the
potential to plunge Taiwan and the Chinese mainland
into a war eventually.
"There is a strong reason behind this U.S. policy. A
Taiwan remaining separate from China and without moving
to provoke Beijing by declaring independence or writing
a new constitution to achieve formal statehood will
best suit Washington's strategic interests. .
"Given the current cross-strait political
circumstances, however, there seems to be little
possibility of the two sides being drawn into a war by
their sovereignty differences. The main reason is that
Beijing is becoming more flexible in promoting
exchanges with Taiwan as long as Taipei does not go so
far as to cross the red lines it has set in its anti-
secession law enacted early this year.
"But the newly achieved peaceful atmosphere across the
Taiwan Strait could be disturbed by President Chen's
new intentions to forge a security alliance with
Washington and Tokyo, taking advantage of the two
governments' desire to contain China's rise. Chen's
policy appears to have won positive responses, though
mostly made in a low-key manner.
"Whatever forms such a triangular cooperation finally
take, it would surely give a major boost to Chen's
position in addressing Beijing's relations, and
encourage him to stick with his political cause. Such
developments would certainly worry Beijing and prompt
it to adopt retaliatory measures. ."
2. U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan
A) "Halt of the [U.S.] Arms Procurements Is Eroding the
United States' Support for Taiwan"
Washington correspondent Nadia Tsao said in a news
analysis of the pro-independence "Liberty Times"
[circulation: 600,000] (9/21):
". Since [U.S.] President George W. Bush approved to
sell a bunch of advanced weapons to Taiwan in 2001,
Taiwan, in the eyes of Washington, has gradually put on
an irresponsible and immature image by continuing to
cling tightly to the legs of the United States.
Washington has used both the carrot and stick and has
almost exhausted every means it can [to push for the
arms deal]. .
"Washington is both concerned and awed by Beijing's
upgraded and expanded defense capabilities. In
addition to the fact that Beijing is getting more and
more flexible in its diplomatic skills, the American
decision-making elites, no matter whether they like
Beijing or not, have to admit that Beijing is a
respectable and a dreadful rival.
"Taiwan is being put in an unfavorable position on the
international stage. What's more awful is that the
people inside Taiwan pay almost no attention to its
inferior position in both the military and diplomatic
aspects.
"The candid criticisms made by [U.S. Deputy Under
Secretary of Defense Richard] Lawless and [U.S. Defense
SIPDIS
Security Cooperation Agency's Security Cooperation
Operations Principal Director Edward] Ross sounded
indeed like criticisms from `the U.S. emperor,' which
were arrogant and hurt Taiwan's self-esteem. But
shouldn't the political parties in Taiwan ask
themselves what have they really done for Taiwan's
national defense since 2001?
"Taiwan has absolutely no military capabilities to
attack China. For now, what Taiwan needs to be
concerned about is losing its minimum deterrence
capabilities and also the respect of our American
friends."
KEEGAN