Editorial: A human rights lesson for China

Yesterday, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) opened a new era when he said "Taiwan stands up" and bade farewell to the Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) era. If we are to list Lee's contributions to Taiwan, top on that list should be the fact that his democratic reforms widened the "gap of political development" between Taiwan and China.

When it comes to political development, the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have gone in opposite directions over the past 12 years. Taiwan has been moving toward the universal values of freedom, democracy and respect for human rights, while China has been going against international trends with its anti-democratic, anti-human rights behavior. To some extent at least, China has provided a sharp contrast that helped Lee win the name "Mr Democracy" in the international media.

On one hand, Chen must continue to safeguard the interests of the Taiwanese people, building on what Lee has accomplished. But on the other hand, he must not be too provocative toward China. Hence, he has repeatedly emphasized "freedom, democracy and human rights" and promised to contribute more pro-actively to safeguarding international human rights. These have now become his weapons.

Chen also said that the two sides also respect the people's will and their freedom of choice. In light of this, China will have to watch out for possible counterproductive effects before it criticizes Chen.

Thanks to mass media and the Internet, tens of thousands of people in China will put Chen's every word and sentence under microscopic scrutiny. Chen's emphasis on freedom, democracy and human rights hit the Chinese authorities where it hurts. But the ideas may very well strike a chord among the populace in much of China. Chinese scholars have to toe the official line and criticize Chen, as in the statement from the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, which criticized Chen for what they call a lack of sincerity in describing "one China" as something "for the future." However, we believe Chinese will certainly hope that their own nation will one day walk Taiwan's path, realizing freedom and democracy and ensuring human rights.

We believe that Chen's proclamations on freedom and democracy are more important than his "five no's" in the inaugural speech. The "five no's" are mere short-term objectives for cross-strait relations, while democracy and human rights are humanity's eternal values, which do not change with the passage of time or political regimes.

On the other hand, Chen emphasized in his speech that it was a "victory of the people," that "the people are the true masters of the state," and that "the people are the masters and shareholders of the state." Chen also added that the historical wounds endured by the people on both sides of the Strait should serve to lay a foundation for mutual understanding. In other words, no matter how the Chinese authorities try to pressure and criticize Chen, Taiwan can still "place its hope in the people of China," adroitly turning around China's phrase "placing its hope in the people of Taiwan" (寄希望於台灣人民) and making it into a talisman for Taiwan.

Chen's keynote line "Taiwan stands up" reminds us of what Mao Zedong (毛澤東) said famously at Tienanmen Square: "The people of China have stood up." What is the difference between the two? One is a president elected by the people, the other was a leader who ruled as a despot in the name of the people.