Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan, Indictment Of

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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #3805/01 3120929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080929Z NOV 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2971
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5917
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7134

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 003805

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - DAVID FIRESTEIN
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. ARMS SALES TO TAIWAN, INDICTMENT OF
FIRST LADY WU SHU-CHEN, DPRK NUCLEAR PROGRAM

1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies continued to
put their focus November 8 on the aftermath of President Chen
Shui-bian's televised address to the Taiwan people Sunday evening on
the subject of the indictments of First Lady Wu Shu-chen and three
presidential aides; and on the third presidential recall motion in
the Legislative Yuan. News coverage also focused on New York
Yankees' pitcher Wang Chien-ming's return to his hometown for a
holiday Tuesday. The pro-independence "Liberty Times," Taiwan's
largest-circulation daily, reported on page four that the
supplementary budget bill for U.S. arms procurements was blocked for
the 63rd time in the Legislative Yuan's Procedural Committee
Tuesday, even though the Legislative Yuan has passed the FY2007
budget for P-3C anti-submarine aircraft.

2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty Times"
editorial criticized the pan-Blue camp for its repeated attempts to
block the U.S. arms procurements bill and said the Blue-camp's
ulterior purpose is to foster the island's ultimate unification with
China. Editorials in the pro-status quo "China Times" and the
pro-unification "United Daily News" both continued to lash out at
President Chen for having insulted Taiwan's public functionaries and
"kidnapped" the DPP. The limited-circulation, pro-independence,
English-language "Taiwan News," on the other hand, devoted its
entire page 7 to an opinion forum prepared by the paper's Editorial
Department on North Korea's nuclear blackmail against the
international community. End summary.

3. U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan

"To Tie [Cross-Strait] Direct Transportation and Arms Procurements
Together, the Revealed Truth Is Getting Uglier"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 600,000]
editorialized (11/8):

"... Is it true that the budget for arms procurement 'is held
hostage by domestic political conflicts'; that its passage [in the
Legislative Yuan] has been stalled? [In fact,] Stephen Young, out
of diplomatic protocol, just put it in a concealed manner. We are
almost certain that, following the defense and offense in the
Legislative Yuan for two years and five months, and in the wake of
the pan-Blue camp's boycotts ... for 63 times, American officials
have gradually figured out the hidden, ulterior motives and schemes
behind the various 'high-sounding' reasons offered by the pan-Blue
camp for 'opposing the arms procurements.' Just as an anonymous AIT
official said, some legislators who obstructed the defense budget
can almost win a medal from China [for doing so.] Apparently, there
are two reasons why the pan-Blue camp remains so stubborn in
'opposing the arms procurements': namely, the pan-Blue camp
supports 'ultimate unification between both sides on the Taiwan
Strait' and 'cooperation between the KMT and Chinese Communist
Party,' but it simply dares not say it out loud.

"The pan-Blue camp's ulterior and ugly intentions have been further
exposed over the past few days through its strong criticism against
AIT Taipei Director Stephen Young. In addition to making abusive
and strong comments such as 'interfering in [Taiwan's] domestic
politics,' 'to expel [Young from Taiwan],' and 'arms broker,' the
pan-Blue camp raised the idea of 'using direct transportation [links
across the Taiwan Strait]' in exchange for arms procurements. ...
'[Cross-Strait] direct transportation [links]' is aimed at
strengthening the inner power for fostering unification, while
'opposition to arms sales' is designated to weaken [Taiwan's]
military strength; both are strategic operations of the pan-Blue
camp to accomplish 'ultimate unification.' [We] hope the DPP
government can distinguish between what is [in Taiwan's] interests
and what is not, figure out the [Blue camp's] schemes, bravely spell
out the truth that 'direct transportation [links across the Taiwan
Strait] will do more harm than good to the sustainability of
Taiwan's economics,' ... and resolutely turn down the Blue camp's
unreasonable blackmail attached to the arms deal. ..."

4. Indictment of First Lady Wu Shu-chen

A) "The President Has Insulted All Public Functionaries"

The pro-status quo "China Times" [circulation: 400,000]
editorialized (11/8):

"... President Chen addressed the Taiwan people a few days ago in
the form of a press conference in which he refuted Prosecutor Eric
Chen's indictment. Appearing on TV, Mr. Chen seemed to have taken
off his official hat of the presidency and put on the lawyer's gown
to defend his innocence as 'a defendant.' ... We believe that Mr.
Chen's performance the other day has done severe damage to the
ethics of Taiwan's public functionaries; we can [even] say it was an
insult to all Taiwan public functionaries. As a public functionary
in the highest position in the Republic of China, [Chen] has

practically insulted the entire public service system. ..."

B) "Why Does DPP Prostrate Itself at the Feet of Chen Shui-bian?"

The pro-unification "United Daily News" [circulation: 400,000]
editorialized (11/8):

"... The weak state the DPP is in today is poles apart from the same
party that defeated the KMT several years ago. Why has the DPP,
which used to be full of justice and aggressiveness, kept silent in
the face of the party's corruption and decay? If it is true that
Chen Shui-bian has deceitfully kidnapped the DPP, people also need
to ask: Why is the DPP willing to be kidnapped by Chen? ... Chen
thought he has narrowly got away [from his trouble] following his
monologue-like 'report to the people,' but he has actually dumped
the pressure onto the DPP. ... Deep involvement in calculations will
only make the DPP fall deeper with Chen; only by re-grasping its
ideals can the DPP regain the power to move the Taiwan people."

5. "The International Community Is Watching China's Reaction to
North Korea's Nuclear Blackmail"

Cang Haiyue, a U.S.-based economist, noted on the "Forum" prepared
by the Editorial Department of the pro-independence,
English-language "Taiwan News" [circulation: 20,000] (11/8):

"... Presently, the focus of concern over North Korean nuclear arms
has already shifted. The major goal of North Korea's nuclear test
is to terrify the U.S. to force it to give sufficient attention to
North Korea. ... In recent years, North Korea has frequently
employed nuclear blackmail against the international community, and
China has greatly enhanced its international status amid the
dangerous game between the U.S. and North Korea. For sure, China is
not only truly opposed to North Korea using nuclear blackmail
against South Korea, the world, or the U.S. in particular, but it
loathes that Kim Jong Il, whom it armed with a loaded gun, is no
longer at its beck and call.

"China fostered the rogue state North Korea mainly hoping that it
would become a tool for political and diplomatic manipulation in the
international community, thus strengthening the country's
international status. North Korea is also very clear about this
point. ... Amid this collaboration North Korea also slowly came to
understand that it would gain more from its blackmail if it managed
to shake off Chinese control to directly dialogue with the U.S.
rather than just being a trump in China's hands. This way of
thinking certainly matches China's initial aspirations in supporting
North Korea. China regarded North Korea as a suitable tool - like a
loaded gun that it pointed at its target without pulling the trigger
- for keeping the U.S. under threat. North Korea served as a trump
card for China in negotiations with the U.S. and allowed China to
establish a bipolar relationship with the U.S. in East Asia. ..."

WANG

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