Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations

VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1504 3511006
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171006Z DEC 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2974
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9580
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0967

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001504

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - THOMAS HAMM
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

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

Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news
coverage December 16 on cross-Strait relations; on Taiwan's dropped
ranking in the Climate Change Performance Index 2010; on President
Ma Ying-jeou's recent interview with the "Wall Street Journal"; and
on amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation that concern the
import of U.S. beef products, which will be reviewed by the
Legislative Yuan on December 18. In terms of editorials and
commentaries, an editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times"
discussed President Ma's recent interview with the "Wall Street
Journal" and said it revealed Ma's goal of ultimate unification with
China. A column in the KMT-leaning "China Times" discussed
U.S.-China-Taiwan relations and said the G2 is the new and most
popular term coined following the rise of China, and it is difficult
to tell now whether Washington and Beijing will become friends or
foes. End summary.

A) "Who Is Creating the Conditions for Taiwan to Be Annexed?"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 680,000]
editorialized (12/16):

"... Even though the Presidential Office clarified yesterday that
that what President Ma said during his interview with the Wall
Street Journal was that 'whether there will be reunification as
expected by the mainland side depends very much on what is going to
unfold in the next decades' rather than 'the next decade,' Ma's
remarks have again given him away by revealing his [goal of]
ultimate unification [with China].

"In fact, the serious mistake that Ma has made in his remarks is not
about the difference between the next 'decade' or 'decades';
instead, it is about the fact that Taiwan is already an independent
sovereign state, and regardless of whether it is called the Republic
of China or Taiwan, its independent sovereignty is already an
undeniable fact. In this vein, be it the next decade or several
decades, for Taiwan, there will never be such a question of
unification [with China]. For a long time, the so-called
'unification' has been a synonym for China's attempt to annex
Taiwan. Likewise, cross-Strait relations are nothing but [a noun]
depicting a geopolitical status. Words such as 'relations between
two nations' are the term that can accurately define the
state-to-state relations between Taiwan and China. Ma's second
mistake lies in the fact that Taiwan's future can only be determined
by the 23 million Taiwan people, not jointly by the 1.3 billion
people in China. Since Taiwan and China are two separate nations,
Taiwan's destiny, without a doubt, should be controlled by the
Taiwan people themselves; Chinese people have no authority to join
in making such a decision. Besides, if [Taiwan's future] were to be
jointly determined by the 23 million [Taiwan] people and 1.3 billion
[Chinese] people, it will only be a plight in which the Taiwan
people will be trampled underfoot by China. ..."

B) "In U.S.-China Relations One Can Hardly Tell Friends from Foes"

Taiwan's former Ambassador to South AfriQQ-cheQ wrote in the
"Hall of Fame" column in the KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation:
120,000] (12/16):

"The biggest change to international relations in the 21st century
is the rise of China, and the watershed marking such a change was
[U.S. President Barack] Obama's state visit to China from November
15 to November 18. Obama and Hu Jintao, in their capacity as state
leaders of two superpowers, signed a magnificent,
over-three-thousand-character 'Sino-U.S. Joint Statement.' ... Since
both countries are in possession of the world's largest nuclear
arsenals, international experts generally believe that it will
benefit both sides if China and the United States can work together,
and both will suffer if they clash against each other. The most
popular noun coined thereof is G2. ... These experts believe that
from now on, only these two superpowers are able to dominate the
destiny of the world; nothing really counts without the go-ahead
from Beijing and Washington. ...

"Even though Washington's current policy toward China is full of
verbal flattering, in reality it sets up a lot of restrictions. The
only exception is Taiwan, the once-named 'unsinkable aircraft
carrier.' For Washington, Taiwan no longer has its strategic value,
and this is the reason why the United States is happy to see both
sides of the Taiwan Strait ease their tensions, increase dialogue
and exchanges. If the DPP were still in power, it would become a
burden to the United States instead. The United States' new 'island
frontline' now ranges from Japan, Guam, going south to Australia,
with Okinawa as its protruding forefront and several South Pacific
islands benefiting from such an association. ... "

STANTON

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