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Show Chen Yonglin and family real democracy

"Oppression makes the wise man mad."

So says the warrior Puccio in Robert Browning's tragedy Luria. If this is the case, then wise people in Australia must be seething with anger at the treatment of Chinese asylum seekers by the Howard administration.

But since there is probably little that people can do to overcome the massive investment Canberra has made in maintaining good trade links with China -- regardless of what Australian officials say -- reasonable solutions must be found elsewhere.

Here is one: Taiwan should offer asylum to Chinese consular officer Chen Yonglin (陳用林).

This would allow Taiwan to demonstrate once again that it is a vibrant, tolerant and democratic state that respects human rights and carries its share of the burden in the international community.

It would be a magnanimous act to a family that has suffered at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its subsidiary, the Howard government.

But there are also a number of hard-headed, practical reasons why granting Chen Yonglin asylum would benefit Taiwan.

First, it would highlight to the international community the brutal nature of the Chinese regime. Memories are short, and although the "Anti-Secession" Law was passed only months ago, subsequent events -- specifically the visits to China by the leaders of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party -- have served to defuse the diplomatic furore surrounding its passage. Anything Taiwan can do to remind the world that the CCP is neither benign nor peace-loving is good.

Second, Chen could offer valuable insights regarding the nature of the Chinese intelligence threat that Taiwan is facing.

Third, it would bolster the democracy movement in China. Simple words and gestures can have a galvanizing effect on beleaguered dissident movements. For example, when former US president Ronald Reagan condemned the Soviet Union as an "evil empire," he was excoriated by many observers. But, according to the accounts of a number of Soviet dissidents, these words echoed throughout the Siberian gulags and reminded them that they were not alone.

But this will not be enough.

Given Canberra's willingness to cast aside any semblance of principle as it courts the Chinese economy, it must be taken for granted that a proposal from Taiwan granting asylum to Chen Yonglin would be met with resistance from Canberra.

Therefore, it is probably best not to pursue the idea through the quiet, subtle back channels of diplomacy. After all, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has pimped out Foreign Minister Alexander Downer many times before to act on behalf of Beijing. And since Downer has proven so eager in the past to tell democratic states to shut up, sit down and stop causing problems, there is no reason to involve him or his ministry -- at first.

No, it would be a far better approach to appeal to the people of Australia directly, by making a very public and forthright announcement of Taiwan's willingness to accept the defectors.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) should be sure to note that Taiwan values its relationship with Australia -- the two countries are, after all, both liberal democracies with a long history of diverse cultural influences. MOFA could say that the current quandary Canberra has been placed in filled it with the desire to help, and that it is used to dealing with Beijing and knows how unreasonable it can be.

So since the Howard administration still seems at a loss as to how to resolve this situation, let Taiwan offer its services in the interests of regional cooperation and humanitarianism.

All that is needed is a press conference.

Yang Chien-hsin is a political commentator based in Taipei.
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