[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 3 (Friday, January 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CHINA AND TAIWAN: THE OBVIOUS DIFFERENCES

                                 ______


                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 5, 1996

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert for the Record this 
excellent editorial on China and Taiwan from one of my hometown 
newspapers, the Post Star of Glens Falls, NY.
  The editorial alludes to the obvious differences between Communist 
China and democratic Taiwan in terms of human rights, democratic 
development, and economic performance. The only area left out is 
foreign policy orientation. Taiwan is unabashedly pro-Western and pro-
United States. Communist China is unabashedly the opposite. It is a 
rogue regime, an enemy of freedom and yes, an enemy of the United 
States.
  This excellent article points out how pathetic it is that we are 
currently agonizing over whether or not to give a routine transit visa 
to the Vice President of our good friend, Taiwan.

                  [From the Post Star, Dec. 27, 1995]

                    Democracy: A Tale of Two Chinas

       Anyone pondering the future of China, and we sincerely hope 
     this includes the Clinton administration, should consider the 
     striking contrast between two recent events in Beijing and 
     Taiwan.
       One event stood as a proud affirmation of a democratic 
     future. The other an ugly reminder of continued political 
     oppression. It shouldn't be difficult to guess which happened 
     where.
       On Taiwan, 9 million voters cast ballots in parliamentary 
     elections that qualified as the freest in China's history. 
     The ruling Kuomintang saw its parliamentary margin pared to 
     just over half of the 164-seat Yuan. The pro-independence 
     Democratic Progressives won 54 seats. The New Party, a 
     dissident Koumintang faction favoring reconciliation and 
     reunification with mainland China, garnered enough votes to 
     give it 21 legislative seats.
       For now, expect Taiwan to maintain its policy opposing both 
     reunification with the Communist-ruled mainland and 
     independence. But the larger point here is that Taiwan's 
     prosperous citizens elected a parliament of their own 
     choosing, selected from multiple political parties free to 
     compete for popular support. The final step in Taiwan's full 
     democratization is the presidential election scheduled for 
     March.
       Now compare this heartening record of political progress 
     with what happened a few days later in Beijing.
       In a one-day show trial closed to the public and the 
     foreign press, China's leading advocate of democracy was 
     sentenced to 14 years in prison. Officially, Wei Jingsheng 
     was charged with attempting to overthrow the government. In 
     fact, of course, his real offense was believing, and saying 
     publicly, that China's people should be as free as Taiwan's 
     citizens to chart their own political future. Wei also 
     believes, and has said publicly, that China's forcible 
     annexation and military occupation of Tibet are wrong.
       China's one-party dictatorship justifies its continued 
     suppression of all political freedoms by contending that 
     authoritarian rule is necessary for economic development. 
     Really? Per capita income on democratic Taiwan is 10 times 
     that of mainland China. Japan, the richest country in Asia 
     and the second-ranking economy in the world, has been a fully 
     functioning democracy for nearly half a century.
       China won't ever catch up to Taiwan, much less Japan, 
     economically until the mainland autocrats permit the rule of 
     law. That, in turn, must entail political liberalization of 
     the sort that is transforming the rest of Asia.
       The Clinton administration shouldn't shrink from saying 
     exactly this, and from reminding Beijing that China will be 
     trusted in exact proportion to the way it treats its own 
     people.

                          ____________________