VZCZCXYZ0011
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHIN #0209 0450843
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140843Z FEB 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8132
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7834
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 9097
UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 000209
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - NIDA EMMONS
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: CHINESE ESPIONAGE CASE IN THE U.S.
Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news
coverage February 14 on the March presidential poll and the UN
referenda; on film director Steven Spielberg's decision Tuesday to
pull out of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing; on the Chinese espionage
case in the United States; and on the DPP administration's latest
attempt to "rectify" the Chinese language. The centrist,
KMT-leaning "China Times" front-paged an exclusive news story saying
that the DPP administration is clandestinely working to set up a
defense industry company named "Taiwan Goal" to coordinate the
business of the U.S.-Taiwan arms deals and to sell Taiwan-made arms
to other countries. In terms of editorials and commentaries, an
editorial in the pro-independence "Liberty Times" discussed the
Chinese espionage in the United States and said China will stop at
nothing in its plotting to annex Taiwan. End summary.
"Chinese Espionage Case Exposed in the United States -- China's
Conspiracy to Annex Taiwan Is All-Pervasive"
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation: 720,000]
editorialized (2/14):
"... In short, the United States' cracking of the Chinese espionage
case indicates that, with its growing national strength, China is
able to deal with Taiwan via various channels. China uses money as
bait to lure the spies to steal classified national defense
information from the United States in an effort to obtain a better
understanding of the development of U.S. defense technology and the
details of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which are useful for its
saber-rattling against Taiwan. Not only that, China also spent an
enormous amount of money trying to win over Taiwan's diplomatic
allies in an attempt thoroughly to squeeze Taiwan's elbow room in
the international community. Moreover, the economic benefits China
has bestowed on the Taiwan businesspeople [on the mainland] will
become the most advantageous leverage Beijing can use to manipulate
these people, who will form an alliance with China once political
disputes start fermenting on the island. That way China can demolish
Taiwan from the inside without having to send a single solider [to
the island]. In the face of China's multiple strategies and
attacks, Taiwan is in an increasingly difficult situation. The
exposure of the Chinese espionage case in the United States is but
the tip of the iceberg. It is a common challenge for the 23 million
people [on Taiwan] as to how to expose China's conspiracy to annex
Taiwan."
WANG