Cablegate: Media Reaction: Counterterrorism

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1110 2570819
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140819Z SEP 09
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2301
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9383
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0810

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001110

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: COUNTERTERRORISM

Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused September
12-14 news coverage on the verdicts concerning former President Chen
Shui-bian's corruption case, on the H1N1 epidemic in Taiwan, and on
the reconstruction in areas hit by Typhoon Morakot. In terms of
editorials and commentaries, a news analysis in the KMT-leaning
"China Times" commented on the latest announcement by United States
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States and China
are to expand their dialogue to cover counterterrorism. The news
analysis said the cooperation is probably because the United States
and China both have noticed that terrorist forces in the Middle East
and in "East Turkistan" might converge. China has also realized
that only by working with the United States can China eradicate the
threat posed by the terrorism, separatism and extremism. End
summary.

"Countering Terrorism, China and the United States Might Open the
Dialogue"

Journalist Wang Ming-yi noted in an analysis in the KMT-leaning
"China Times" [circulation: 120,000] (9/12):

"United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and China's
National People's Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo attended a business
forum in Washington, D.C., on September 10. While delivering her
speech, Clinton revealed that the United States and China might hold
talks on counterterrorism this fall. ...

"On the eighth anniversary of the 'September 11th incident,' Clinton
revealed that China and the United States are going to open a
dialogue on counterterrorism. One cannot help wondering whether it
is because Washington expects China to play a more robust role in
international counterterrorism efforts or because Beijing, when
facing the Lhasa incident [of March 14, 2008] and the Urumqi
incident [of July 5, 2009] is purposely seeks [the help of]
Washington to eradicate the international terrorism forces behind
the Tibetan and Xinjiang independent movements. ...

"What prompted China and the United States to return to the ground
of [cooperation in] counterterrorism established during the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shanghai [in
October 2001]; open the dialogue on counterterrorism; and seek new
measures to jointly fight against terrorism was probably the fact
that the two countries once again realize that the international
terrorist forces that China and the United States jointly face,
which are the terrorist forces in the Middle East and in East
Turkistan, might integrate and connect with one another. ...

"The 'three forces [which are terrorism, separatism, and
extremism],' in Central Asia are the extreme forces which refuse to
abide by norms in the international community. The threat and
infiltration of Xinjiang posed by the East Turkistan forces have
apparently become a major worry to the Beijing authorities. It
seems that for China, in addition to defending its border areas and
maintaining stability among ethnic groups, the only correct path is
to seek cooperation with the United States to establish an
international counterterrorism battle line."

STANTON

© Scoop Media