Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
250811Z Aug 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 003540
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 SALES TO TAIWAN
1. Summary: Major Taipei dailies continued August 25 to
cover the aftermath of a riot by Thai laborers in
Kaohsiung, and also provided substantial reporting on
the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The pro-
independence "Liberty Times," "Taiwan Daily" and the
centrist "China Time" all carried U.S. Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's remarks on Taiwan's arms
SIPDIS
procurements at a Pentagon pres briefing Tuesday. The
two pro-independence newspapers emphasized, in
particular, Rumsfeld's statement in which he referred
to Taiwan as a "sovereign nation." The "Liberty Times"
carried the news story on its page three, and topped it
with the headline: "Rumsfeld: Taiwan is a sovereign
nation"; "Taiwan Daily" ran a banner headline on its
second page that read: "Rumsfeld [talking about
Taiwan's arms procurements]: It is up to the sovereign
nation to decide." All Chinese-language Taipei dailies
also carried the news story regarding a decision by
Taiwan's Executive Yuan's to withdraw its original
special budget for the U.S. arms procurement bill, and
to include the purchase of PAC-3 missiles in the
regular annual budget. In addition, both the "Liberty
Times" and "China Times" reported in their inside pages
that the United States is likely to commission a
Spanish shipbuilder to manufacture the submarines for
Taiwan.
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a "Liberty
Times" editorial called on new KMT Chairman Ma Ying-
jeou to meet with President Chen Shui-bian and discuss
the U.S. arms procurement bill. A "Taiwan Daily"
editorial also urged the Pan-Blue legislators to
respect the rules of procedure in the Congress and to
not block the passage of the arms procurement bill any
more. End summary.
A) "Bian-Ma Meeting to Unlock the [Controversial U.S.]
Arms Procurements Is a Common Expectation of All the
Taiwan People"
The pro-independence "Liberty Times" [circulation:
600,000] editorialized (8/25):
". Taiwan is naturally the main target of China's rise,
and China will definitely walk on the road of becoming
a hegemonic power, which will pose a threat to the free
world. The United States and Japan have thus been on
the alert against it. In other words, the Pan-Blue
camp's boycotts against the U.S. arms procurements will
not only endanger Taiwan's own security but will also
create a potential crisis [with regard to] the peace
and stability of the world. This is why the United
States has been gravely concerned about the arms deal
[with Taiwan]. On the one hand, Taiwan needs to
demonstrate its determination to defend itself; it must
not rely solely on the United States and put its
survival on the moral support of an ally. On the other
hand, Washington is concerned that once there is an
opening in the defenses of the [united] front formed by
the free world, it will lead to non-peaceful rising of
a Chinese hegemony that will ravage the free world. As
a result, in consideration of a harmonious political
situation, national security and world peace, this
newspaper hopes Chairman Ma Ying-jeou would change his
mind and accept President Chen's invitation to engage
in a candid and reasonable meeting and exchange of
views on major issues such as the U.S. arms procurement
bill. ."
B) "Legislative Yuan's Procedure Committee Has Blocked
the [U.S.] Arms Procurement Bill for 26 Consecutive
Times; This Is an Outrageously Bizarre Move"
". We believe that the Legislative Yuan's Procedure
Committee, dominated by primarily by the Pan-Blue
force, will not easily change its decision [with regard
to the U.S. arms procurement bill] simply because new
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's personal attitude. These
Pan-Blue legislators have grown used to a conditioned
response when they were under the helms of Lien Chan
and James Soong earlier; namely, they tend to `oppose
whatever [Chen Shui-] Bian said' and `resist whatever
Taiwan needs'. The Pan-Blue legislators should figure
out how to act in their capacity and start respecting
and abiding the rules of procedure in the Congress, or
their voters will not possibly tolerate their reckless
or contradictory acts that disregard `political
ethnics,' `public interests, and `political
responsibility.'"
PAAL