Taiwan’s Strategies towards Human Right Issues in China (Part II)

The followings are my suggestions for Taiwan’s strategies towards China’s human right issues:

I. Principles
Taiwan’s strategies should avoid going against the non-interference principle addressed in international law. Thus, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seem to be the better initiators for advancing human right movements in China. The government sector, instead, can play a supporting role to assist and integrate NGOs to enhance efficiency when resources are limited.

II. Mobilization

A. Exceptional treatments for Chinese or Tibetan democratic advocates
Taiwan’s government should not treat those international refugees who hold identifications issued by the UN or other international organizations like ordinary Chinese citizens, since they cannot be viewed as Chinese citizens anymore. Regarding Tibetan exiles, the Taiwanese government has to recognize their identifications issued both by the Tibetan government in exile and Refugees International in order to show respect for the self-determination right of Tibetans.

Also, the Taiwanese government should treat those whose passports have been cancelled by the PRC government due to their activities related to China’s democratic movements or exiled Tibetans in India like normal foreign visitors, rather than put them under the category of “Chinese” citizens and apply related regulations.

B. Hastening to pass the political asylum law

So far Taiwan has not enacted any political asylum law; therefore, when dealing with Chinese democratic advocates, Taiwan has to either arrest them according to the State Security Law of the People’s Republic of China, or repatriate them according to the Statute Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. The third way, however, is to send these people to the third country for possible political asylum.

Since the Taiwanese government keeps claiming that human right is one of its national concerns, we hope that the government can initiate the political asylum law as soon as possible, so as to protect those who have been oppressed cruelly on the grounds of their efforts for promoting human right and democracy in China or in the region of Asia.

C. Discuss human right issues in bilateral meetings

We understand that since human right issue is very sensitive and can be accused of intervening in the other countries’ domestic affairs, so it may not become an important agenda on any official meetings between China and Taiwan. However, it should not be the case for those bilateral meetings consisted of NGOs from both sides. In other words, civil societies should play a more active role to encourage or even demand that human right issues need to be included in bilateral meetings between Taiwan and China.

D. Others

1. Organize activities that promote human right;
2. Create counter theory or any new argument against the “Beijing Consensus”;
3. Encourage NGOs to work with international organizations for supporting China’s human right movements;
4. Support Hong Kong’s democracy to be a model for China;
5. Market and promote Taiwan’s democratic experience;
6. Enhance cooperation with the Tibetan government in exile;
7. Encourage the human right-related research and other activities.