Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S. Arms Procurement Bill

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

UNCLAS TAIPEI 002275

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: U.S. ARMS PROCUREMENT BILL

Summary: As the Taipei dailies centered their coverage
on local politics May 24, it is noteworthy that all
major Chinese-language newspapers carried in their
inside pages a news story that quoted Taiwan Defense
Minister Lee Jye as saying the United States has called
upon Taiwan through official channels to decide before
the end of May whether or not it will purchase 12 U.S.-
made anti-submarine aircrafts. According to the news
story, Lee said the United States might sell those
airplanes to other countries if Taiwan does not provide
a positive answer by the deadline. It has also been
reported that Taiwan has been informed via unofficial
channels that the United States may not sell submarines
to Taiwan. The pro-independence "Liberty Times,"
Taiwan's biggest daily, devoted half of its page five
on Lee's appeal to the Legislative Yuan committee to
review the relevant arms-purchase bill and Taiwan's
defense budget; other newspapers focused more on
independent Legislator Li Ao's allegation Monday that
Lee tried to bribe him with a Mont Blanc pen to seek
his support for the passage of the U.S. arms
procurements bill. In terms of editorials, only the
limited-circulation, pro-independence, English-language
"Taipei Times" discussed the U.S. arms procurement
bill, saying the military purchases are essential to
Taiwan and a precondition for cross-Strait
negotiations. End summary.

"Time Running out on Arms Bill"

The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times"
[circulation: 30,000] editorialized (5/24):

"Minister of National Defense Lee Jye told a
legislative committee yesterday that if the deadlock
over the special arms-procurement bill is not resolved
by the end of the month, the US may sell the 12 P-3C
maritime patrol aircrafts that Taiwan wants to purchase
to another country. He said the purchase of submarines
may also fall through. If the Legislative Yuan
continues to obstruct passage of this bill, national
security will be dangerously compromised.

"The political parties may well have different
opinions on the unification-independence question and
other cross-strait issues. But the arms-procurement
bill transcends this debate. The pan-blue parties
believe that negotiations are the best way to secure
peace and stability. However, if Taiwan is left
without the means to defend itself, it will have
nothing to bargain with. For this reason, these
military purchases are essential. They are a
precondition to cross-strait negotiations. .

"China might at any time seek to use `non-peaceful
means' to resolve the cross-strait issue, and any
imbalance in naval strength is only likely to encourage
Beijing to take this option. If the procurement bill
does not pass, it is likely that this nation will find
itself unable even to maintain the status quo in the
Strait. ."

PAAL

© Scoop Media