Cablegate: Media Reaction: Chen-Soong Meeting and Cross-

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000821

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD -
ROBERT PALLADINO
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHEN-SOONG MEETING AND CROSS-
STRAIT RELATIONS

1. Summary: The Taipei dailies gave considerable
reporting February 25 of the meeting between President
Chen Shui-bian and People First Party Chairman James
Soong, which took place Thursday. The meeting was
treated as a local political issue, though the 10-point
joint statement issued by Chen and Soong after their
talks largely concerned Taiwan's national status and
future cross-Strait relations. Interestingly, the
largest circulation Liberty Times, which supports
Chen's own party, was the only daily to carry the story
on the inside pages instead of on the front page. The
pro-unification and centrist dailies said Chen's
statement regarding Taiwan's national status indicated
that he is moving toward the middle-of-the-road
direction, while all the pro-independence newspapers
criticized that Chen has deviated from Taiwan's growing
consciousness of its sovereignty and has upset all the
pan-green and pro-independence supporters.

2. The pro-independence "Liberty Times" questioned in
its editorial why it bothers for China to write an
`anti-secession' law when Chen has himself deprived
Taiwan of its sovereignty. An editorial of the pro-
independence "Taiwan Daily," however, said Chen's
statement that he will not declare Taiwan independence
during his term of office is actually an announcement
to the United States and Japan telling them that Taiwan
has done its best to maintain the status quo in the
Taiwan Strait. A commentary in the pro-unification
"United Daily News" called Washington, Beijing, Chen
and Soong four human press pawns on the cross-Strait
chessboard whereas the only factor that can affect
their movements is their own interests. A commentary
in the centrist "China Times" said the concessions Chen
made to Soong during their talks indicated that Chen
would also make concessions to the Beijing government,
which might push the cross-Strait relations to a new
stage in the next three years. End summary.

A) "It Turns out Unexpectedly that President Chen Is to
Carry out Policies Advocated by a Defeated Presidential
Candidate"

The pro-independence "Liberty Times" commented in its
editorial (2/25):

". In general, given the 10-point statement signed
between President Chen and James Soong, there is no
need for China to write the `anti-secession law'
because the 10-point statement is in reality similar to
a Taiwan version of the `anti-secession law.' Since
Chen has already deprived Taiwan of its sovereignty
himself, why would it bother for China to do it again
[by enacting the `anti-secession law']? The United
States and Japan have taken some actions lately to
repeatedly warn China not to play with the fire of the
`anti-secession law.' But our state leader is now
putting on the tights made of the `one China
constitution' himself simply because his administration
has failed to win a legislative majority and he wants
to create a [friendly] atmosphere so as to get his
bills passed. If China exercises any restraint with
regard to its `anti-secession' law, the most important
reason is perhaps because of the 10-point statement
other than the pressure from the United States and
Japan. ."

B) "Why President A-Bian Has to Shoulder all the
Criticism While James Soong Appears to be Complacent?"

The pro-independence "Taiwan Daily" editorialized
(2/25):

". If [we] review President Chen's remarks at the Chen-
Soong meeting from another perspective, [we] may say
that Chen was actually well intended but little
understood. At the time when both Washington and Tokyo
have included the Taiwan Strait as one of the two
countries' `common strategic objectives,' the DPP
government felt the need to convey to the United States
and Japan Taiwan's efforts in seeking to stabilize the
status quo in the Taiwan Strait. President Chen thus
announced at the Chen-Soong talks that during his term
of office, he would not declare Taiwan independence.
Chen is in fact making an announcement to the
governments of the United States and Japan that Taiwan
has done its best to maintain the status quo and that
should a war break out in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan,
the one who extends an olive branch, is not the one to
be blamed. ."

C) "Interests of the Four Human Chess Pawns Shape Their
[Future] Movements"

Journalist Hsiao Heng-chien observed in the
conservative, pro-unification "United Daily News"
(2/25):

"The meeting between President Chen Shui-bian and
People First Party Chairman James Soong finally took
place and a 10-point consensus was reached, which
focused mostly on the cross-Strait relations. On the
chessboard of cross-Strait relations, Beijing,
Washington, President Chen, and James Soong are in
reality four human chess pawns, and the only factor
that can affect their movements is their own
`interests.'
"On the cross-Strait chessboard, judged by the current
international and domestic situations, the stability
across the Taiwan Strait is the greatest common
denominator for the interests of Washington and
Beijing. The breakthrough in the cross-Strait
relations, on the other hand, is the greatest common
denominator for the interests of President Chen and
James Soong.

"For Washington, North Korea is the priority problem it
needs to resolve now, and Beijing has to deal with
international issues and its domestic development now.
The Taiwan issue is not on the agenda of either of the
two countries that needs to be urgently addressed now.
However, it will be greatly conducive for Washington
and Beijing if both sides of the Taiwan Strait could
maintain a certain form of stability. That is why both
Washington and Beijing, in the wake of last year end's
Legislative Yuan election, have sought to take
advantage of the opportunity when both Chen and Soong
hope to gain their own interests, to push for such a
meeting ."

D) "Unique Power Positions Work to Push for the Chen-
Soong Meeting"

Journalist Chen Chia-hung noted in the "My Views"
column of the centrist, pro-status quo "China Times"
(2/25):

". More importantly, Chen Shui-bian's `concessions'
made toward James Soong also indicated that [Chen's]
administration would make `concessions' to the Beijing
government. Beijing, which has previously judged and
set its views about Chen but is also eager to develop
cross-Strait relations, has found [at the Chen-Soong
meeting] a perfect chance for it to extricate itself
from such an awkward position. In consideration of the
fact that Chen has modified the keynote of his cross-
Strait policy, Beijing might act on the needs of Chen
and Soong and push the cross-Strait relations to a new
stage in the next three years. ."

PAAL

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