Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S.-Taiwan Relations, Iraq

VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #0789/01 1000944
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100944Z APR 07
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4814
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6616
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7868

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000789

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - LLOYD NEIGHBORS
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS, IRAQ

1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies gave front-page
coverage April 10 to the Executive Yuan's disciplinary action
against the National Communications Commission (NCC) Monday by
suspending two of its commissioners pending an investigation. News
coverage also focused on the 2008 presidential elections and other
local issues. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an editorial
in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" bluntly pointed out that the
United States should no longer demand from Taiwan the "Four Nos and
One Without" pledge, because such a request has caused irretrievable
damage to Taiwan's security and interests. An op-ed piece in the
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei
Times" discussed the possible strategy Taiwan should adopt in an
attempt to secure a free trade agreement with the United States. A
column in the pro-status quo "China Times," on the other hand,
discussed the current situation in Iraq and said the United States
has paid a very high price in launching the war against Iraq. End
summary.

2. U.S.-Taiwan Relations

A) "The United States Should Not Demand the Ridiculous 'Four Nos and
One Without' Pledge [from Taiwan] Any More"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 500,000]
editorialized (4/10):

"... More importantly, even though the United States regards the
'Four Nos and One Without' pledge as a keystone for peace in the
Taiwan Strait and therefore hopes that future DPP presidential
candidates will be able to adhere to such a [policy] direction, the
source of instability in the Taiwan Strait lies in reality in China
rather than in Taiwan. The United States is incapable of
restraining China and, instead, it hopes for Taiwan to be resigned
to its fate. This move is no different from conniving with the
unreasonable demands of a strong power, and it will severely
endanger [the United States'] righteous image, which was clearly
demonstrated when Washington went to extreme lengths to launch the
war on terrorism by waging wars against Afghanistan and Iraq.
Likewise, imposing pressure on its long-term ally of the same
democratic camp just to curry favor with a hegemony that remains
under totalitarian rule also runs counter to the United States'
founding spirit of upholding democracy and freedom. In other words,
as Taiwan is about to start campaigning for its next presidential
elections, not only is it inappropriate for the United States to
pressure, in the name of offering consultations, the future DPP
presidential candidate to continue adhering to the Four Nos and One
Without pledge, but Washington should also thoroughly reflect on the
irretrievable damage this pledge has done to Taiwan's security and
interests. The United States must decisively abandon such a
mistaken cross-Strait policy so as to be able truly to secure peace
in the Taiwan Strait."

B) "Developing a Strategy for an FTA with the US"

Tsai Horng-ming, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese National

SIPDIS
Federation of Industries, opined in the pro-independence,
English-language "Taipei Times" [circulation: 30,000] (4/10):

"The US recently concluded a free-trade agreement (FTA) with South
Korea. ... In fact, the agreement will have a domino effect.
Regional economic integration will become the major strategy for
countries to strengthen their economic competitiveness and attract
foreign investment. As for Taiwan, China's macroeconomic
development strategy and the 'one China' principle have had a
negative effect on Taiwan's participation in the process of regional
integration. Facing Chinese obstructionism, the manner in which
Taipei enters FTA negotiations with Washington will be of utmost
importance. This strategy can use the WTO's legal system and
institutions to develop the FTA with the US. ...

"For its part, Taiwan can use its own prestige in areas such as
economic liberty, market openness and geopolitical status as trading
chips to highlight the value of regional trade investment. A
Taiwan-US FTA would support the formation of an APEC-wide FTA, from
which regional development could ensue. To demonstrate its
political will to the US, Taiwan must offer a comprehensive economic
liberalization plan and adopt a more realistic strategy to overcome
political obstacles. Giving more importance to creating a trade and
investment framework in which Taiwan and the US can evolve would be
a way to achieve this. ... The nation needs to build the
communication mechanism whereby it can enter into talks with US
entrepreneurs in favor of a Taiwan-US FTA."

3. Iraq

"Four Years after Saddam Hussein's Statue Was Pulled Down"

The "International Outlook" column in the pro-status quo "China
Times" [circulation: 400,000] noted (4/10):

"On the same day four years ago, U.S. soldiers succeeded in
capturing Baghdad, in which a statue of Saddam Hussein in the
downtown area was pulled down. Washington said it had liberated
Iraq. But how does Iraq look today? According to the statistics
published by the U.S. media last week, the current situation of the
Iraqi people is as follows: 655,000 Iraqi civilians have died; 1.9
million refugees are wandering from place to place in Iraq, whereas
2 million Iraqi refugees have fled mostly to neighboring countries
such as Syria and Jordan. In Syria alone there are 1.2 million
Iraqi refugees. A United Nations statistic report also showed that
domestic chaos and incessant small civil battles [in Iraq] have
generated around 5 million orphans. All these are caused just
because the Bush administration of the United States said it wanted
to attack Iraq as the country was in possession of weapons of mass
destruction. Now it proves that this is nothing but nonsense. ...

"The United States itself also paid a price: 3,200 dead American
soldiers, most of whom did not die in formal combat. The costs of
this war will certainly exceed those of any war in U.S. history. ...
What's worse is that no one can tell when and how this tragedy will
come to an end. It is even worse that the war on Iraq has generated
the nuclear crisis in Iran (this country would not have stayed
fearless until now without the war on Iraq), and the Iranian nuclear
crisis is a more severe problem than Iraq. ..."

WANG

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