Cablegate: Media Reaction: U.S.-Taiwan Relations

VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHIN #1780 3640855
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 290855Z DEC 08
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0626
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 8817
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0278

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001780

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: U.S.-TAIWAN RELATIONS

Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused December
25-29 news coverage on KMT Legislator Diane Lee's United States
citizenship controversy; on former President Chen Shui-bian's legal
cases; the slowdown of the local economy and worsening conditions
for local labor. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column
in the centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" commented on United
States President-elect Barack Obama's nominations of James
Steinberg, Kurt Campbell, and Jeffrey Bader to take charge of his
Asia-Pacific affairs. Judging from the nominees' good knowledge
about the region and their professional careers during the Clinton
Administration, the column concluded that the Obama Administration
will not change much from the United States' long-term "One-China"
policy. On the other hand, the Obama administration surely will
place a high value on Sino-U.S. relations, or even rely on China,
given China's rise and its economic power in recent years. End
summary.

"Obama's Line Up on Asia-Pacific Policy Is Formed"

Washington correspondent Norman Fu wrote in his column in the
centrist, KMT-leaning "China Times" [circulation: 220,000] (12/26):

"... Judging from the lineup, it showed that James Steinberg [the
nominee for Deputy Secretary of State], Kurt Campbell [the nominee
for Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs] and
Jeffrey Bader [the nominee for Senior Director for Asian Affairs at
the National Security Council] will be the nucleus and the iron
triangle which take charge of Asia-Pacific policy in the Obama
Administration in the future. These [three] people's professional
careers in the past showed that the new United States government's
Asia-Pacific policy which is based on [the slogan of] "change" will,
with new appointees and new policies, still contain a great amount
of continuity. Therefore, Obama's cross-Strait policy will not
deviate significantly from the 'One-China' policy which was
established by Richard Nixon. However, China's rise and its huge
economic power in recent years will cause the Obama Administration
to place more importance [on its relations with China], or even rely
on its relations with China.

"Campbell and Bader had both candidly attached importance to
Sino-U.S. relations and [expressed] their hopes to reinforce
relations between Washington and Beijing. Taiwan's task of assuring
its own interests and not suffering setbacks, under circumstances in
which Taiwan and the United States already lean too heavily toward
China, will be one on which Taiwan's U.S.-based foreign service
staff and the Ma Ying-jeou administration will have to rack their
brains."

YOUNG

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