Cablegate: Media Reaction: Taiwan: Dalai Lama Visit, U.S. Arms Sales;

VZCZCXRO3262
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2465 2400929
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 280929Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5810
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS BEIJING 002465

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/CM, EAP/PA, EAP/PD, C
HQ PACOM FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR (J007)
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON KMDR OPRC CH

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: TAIWAN: DALAI LAMA VISIT, U.S. ARMS SALES;
INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS IN CHINA

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Editorial Quotes
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1. TAIWAN: DALAI LAMA VISIT, U.S. ARMS SALES

"The result will not be good if Taiwan's Democratic Progressive
Party seeks support from the Dalai Lama" (pg 14)

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(08/28): "The Democratic Progress Party's
(DPP) decision to join hands with the Tibetan independence movement
in order to promote Taiwanese independence, using their ideology to
create cross-Strait confrontation, is clumsy and easily understood.
Taiwan obviously intends to have Tibetan separatists come over to
strengthen the Taiwanese independence movement through an alliance,
and meanwhile create hostility in cross-Strait relations. The
strength of the Taiwanese independence movement suffered a setback
when the DPP stepped down. Therefore, they are using Tibetan
separatists as pawns to advance their strategy. While all parties
across the Strait were busy fighting against the typhoon and
conducting disaster relief, the separatists were hatching political
plots. All Chinese compatriots across the Strait will despise their
behavior."

"U.S. decision-makers' confidence in protecting Taiwan shaken" (pg
7)

Elite Reference (Qingnian Cankao), a newspaper affiliated to the
official Communist Youth League China Youth Daily (08/28): "An
American think tank, the New American Security Center, published an
article on Asian Times online, indicating that, due to changes in
the strategic environment, Taiwan will have a harder time getting
access to U.S.-made advanced weapons. The article said that the
U.S. has hesitated in arranging arms sales to Taiwan not just
because of Ma Ying Jeou's policy, but also because of speed at which
the Mainland has modernized its military, far exceeding U.S.
predictions. This has shaken some U.S. decision-makers' confidence
in protecting Taiwan. They believe that if the weapons they provide
Taiwan are not useful in defending the U.S., then it would be better
to avoid the burden of defending Taiwan. According to the article,
the U.S. has realized the increasing difficulty of selling arms to
Taiwan while maintaining and developing U.S.-China relations.
However, the article argued that the U.S. should still keep its
security promise to Taiwan, and said President Obama should bring up
the issue during his visit to China in November and indicate that
the U.S. will not stop arms sales to Taiwan."

2. INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENTS IN CHINA

"Foreign democracy organizations join hands with Tibet and Xinjiang
separatists" (pg 7)

The official Communist Party international news publication Global
Times (Huanqiu Shibao)(08/28): "Foreign democracy organizations,
which survive with the support of anti-China forces, are supporting
Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan separatists. The 'International
Tibet-Han Conference' that was recently held in Geneva, came to the
conclusion that Tibet should be separated from China. However,
experts argue that a democratic China cannot be achieved if Tibet is
separated from China. Foreign democracy organizations quickly lend
their support to any group that carries out an influential incident
in China and thus becomes the recipient of international 'political
dollars.' To find a legal basis for this, some of these foreign
democracy organizations have referred back to the draft 'Chinese
Federal Republic Constitution' issued a decade ago, which suggested
separating Tibet from China. How can the ideas of these foreign
democracy organizations be convincing if they do not even advocate a
unified China? China as a country will be finished if it is
federalized, as proposed in this draft constitution."

HUNTSMAN

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