Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
Paal meets with Lien again
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal visited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday to discuss Lien's visit to China, according to KMT sources. Paal's visit -- the second of its kind in two weeks -- caused speculation among local political observers as to whether the AIT director is "passing on words" from Washington to the KMT. The meeting was particularly noteworthy as it occurred one day after US President George W. Bush talked with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), asking Hu to open dialogue with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to seek resolution to cross-strait issues.

■ Charity
Rotary gets US$1m for polio
The government donated US$1 million yesterday to help fund a global campaign by Rotary International to eradicate polio. The donation was made during a meeting at the Executive Yuan between Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and visiting Rotary International president Glenn Estess. The premier presented an oversized check for US$1 million to Estess on behalf of the government. While polio has virtually been eliminated in Taiwan, Hsieh said that many developing countries are still haunted by this contagious disease. "We are more than willing to help needy countries get rid of this disease," Hsieh said. He said that Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) has often hindered its efforts to reach out to other countries or join global health care projects. "So the WHO snub is not just Taiwan's loss but also a loss to the world," Hsieh said, adding that he hopes Rotary International can wield its enormous clout to help Taiwan join the WHO.

■ Crime
Vietnam convicts Taiwanese
A Vietnamese court in Hanoi yesterday sentenced a Taiwanese man to 15 years in prison for fleecing would-be migrant workers, the official Vietnam News Agency said. Chang Chang-hsin, 49, was sentenced at the end of the three-day trial, the agency said. He was convicted of cheating 44 Vietnamese out of nearly US$90,000 with promises to find them work in Taiwan and Japan, it said. The court ordered Chang to return the money to the victims, the report said.

■ Politics
Chinese-Americans divided
There is an even split among Chinese-Americans over US military support of Taiwan in the event of a declaration of independence leading to a war between Taiwan and China, according to the results of a new survey released in the US on Thursday by the Committee of 100, a Chinese-American organization. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Zogby International polling firm last month among 354 Chinese-Americans. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.3 percentage points.
When asked, "If a declaration of independence by Taiwan leads to hostilities, should the United States commit military forces to defend Taiwan?" 45 percent of the respondents said "Yes" and 46 percent said "No." When asked about ways to improve US-China relations, the respondents cited better or more communication, increased understanding, more balanced or free trade and a resolution of the Taiwan issue. While 14 percent of the respondents viewed China as a serioaus economic threat, 10 percent saw it as a serious military threat. The survey was the third of a three-part study of American attitudes toward China.