Human rights `a question of sharing'

Taipei Times: As an avid human rights activist, do you think Taiwan should export its achievement on human rights so the international community will know more about our efforts in this regard?

Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志): I don't think it's a question of exportation, but rather a question of sharing. By sharing our experience in democratization, we're making a significant contribution not only to Taiwan itself, but also to all of mankind.

We've made such remarkable achievements over the years on human rights and have managed to transform ourselves from authoritarian rule to democratic [rule].

But as there's still so much room for improvement, I don't think it's enough to export our achievements on human rights and democracy. We must also enhance the protection of human rights and expand the spectrum from human rights to civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights.

To achieve that goal, the government and the people should work together. The human rights symposium is a perfect example. I do hope the event helps take a step forward toward enhancing Taiwan's international profile and its quest for joining international organizations.

The incidental benefit of sharing our experience with the rest of the world is to inspire China. We hope to see it evolve into a free, democratic state with commitment to human rights. A strong and powerful China without democracy and human rights is a threat not only to Taiwan but also to other countries of the world.

But a free, democratic China, with economic prosperity is something that Chinese people should strive for and [would be] a real blessing for all the Chinese people.

TT: Do you expect cross-strait direct transportation to take place any time soon after Chinese Vice Primier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) described direct links as a "cross-strait" matter, rather than a "domestic" one?

Chen: I'm not at all excited about his remark as I know it's just another tactic of China's to change its rhetoric when it doesn't really mean what it says. I don't think we should take his remark too seriously.

Taiwan is ready to negotiate with China at any time. But the bottom line is, as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has made clear, that Taiwan cannot be regionalized, minimized or marginalized.

As Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and a member of the WTO, it'd be ideal to negotiate with China under the framework of the WTO. And the negotiations should be conducted under the principle of common interest, mutual respect and equality based on international laws and without any preconditions.

In the meantime, I'm calling on China to remove its missiles that it has targeted at Taiwan and make a formal statement that it'll renounce the use of force against Taiwan and that it will stop pointing a gun at our head, demanding we negotiate.

TT: Do you have any expectations for this Friday's meeting between US President George W. Bush and China President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) ?

Chen: I don't think there will be any new development on the cross-strait issue during the meeting. The two will focus more on cooperation in the international campaign against terrorism. In conjunction with that, I think they may talk about nonproliferation of weapons and technology among other issues.

One thing I'd like to point out, however, is that anti-terrorism should definitely be a concern of the people of the world, but it's equally important to strike a balance between national security, personal security and human rights.