Dear Mr. Tung Chee-hwa,

Few democracy activists today, by contrast, are naive enough to think that a tout of America will instill democratic values. Activists still fail to realize that building democracy in many developing nation is both crucial to American interests and resistant to instant solutions.

The top U.S. diplomat in Hong Kong said yesterday (Oct. 27, 1999) it was unfortunate the Pope had been barred from visiting this year, noting such moves create the impression the former British colony is less open since its return to China.

New Consul General Michael Klosson stressed the need for Hong Kong to defend its British common law tradition and bluntly told the administration of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa that imposing a "press council" would lead to an international outcry.

"It's very unfortunate the Pope, who previously had been able to come here ... was not able to come here this time. Those kinds of things create an impression that Hong Kong is a less open city than it was before," Klosson said at a business luncheon.

China, which oversees Hong Kong foreign and defense matters since Britain gave up the colony in 1997, barred a visit by Pope John Paul because of the Vatican's ties to arch-rival Taiwan.

Klosson said the Clinton administration was trying to knock down allegations in Washington about links between Hong Kong companies and mainland China authorities.

Democratic program is not the same as "matured democracy west countries". Every country should design each side of practicable methods that could give rise to democracy promotion.

Journalists do not mainly focus on scandals or feel-good stories of democratic triumph, but the right programs over the long term. Democracy is not working in everything which the problems can resolve after reformed succession.

In Taiwan, President Lee Teng-hui has called on the international community to acknowledge Taiwan's democratic development and accord the island the international recognition it deserves in the interests of global stability.

Writing in the November-December issue of the Foreign Affairs journal. Lee said it would be best for regional and global peace and stability if Beijing embraced democracy rather than trying to contain it.

The international community has a crucial role to play in this regard, he said, by "first updating its perceptions of what has taken place in Taiwan and the implications of democratic development here for the region and the world."

The next step was to "accord Taiwan the international status and role it deserves," said Lee.

People in Taiwan have evolved to become what Lee called "New Taiwanese" who are "willing to fight for the prosperity and survival of their country regardless of when they or their forebears arrived on Taiwan and regardless of their provincial heritage or mother tongue."

This new sense of identity manifests itself in all aspects of social and political life and extends to the role people feel is appropriate for their democracy in the world, said Lee.

But the way its democratic achievements are perceived elsewhere in the region --- particularly across the Taiwan Strait in mainland China --- directly affects Taiwan's security and future development in ways never before anticipated by the international community.

"If peace and stability are to be maintained in the Taiwan Strait area, the perceptions underpinning polices involving Taipei and Beijing must be firmly grounded in reality rather than ideological wishful thinking," Lee said.

Lee reaffirmed his theory that cross-strait ties have to be base on a "special state-to-state relationship." This concept angered Beijing when Lee first pronounced it in July but said the Taiwan government has no intention to provoking China.

"If the two sides can recognize and appreciate this special relationship, they can transcend political differences and jointly develop a relationship conductive to the peaceful and democratic reunification of the Chinese nation one day," he said.

He reiterated that Taiwan does not rule out discussing political issues with Beijing once talks resume on the basis of parity, but said priority must be given to outstanding issues affecting people's daily lives.

As we have known that beginning in the early 1990's, Washington began a wide variety of programs worldwide to help Third World countries democratize, including training election observers, improving parliamentary liberties, cajoling political parties to form coalitions, teaching citizens, groups how to lobby and helping independent newspapers write business plans. Last year the American government spent US$719 million on these efforts.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin, on a state visit to France, on Monday (Oct. 25, 1999) rejected criticism of China's human rights record and said he was not sure what protesters he encountered on his foreign visits really wanted. But he spoke at length with his host, French President Jacques Chirac, about Tibet and whether Beijing could open talks with its exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, French officials said without indicating what Jiang said. The French also presented the Chinese delegation with a list of imprisoned dissidents and religious leaders Paris was concerned about. Asked about protests during his visit to Britain and France, Jiang said, "I don't know their concerns exactly. In many countries I have visited I have encountered this phenomenon."

In many countries where a government and its people genuinely wants democracy but lacks expertise --- nations such as South Africa, Slovakia or Chile. In dictatorships, aid to the besieged opposition can keep hope alive.

But in nations that enjoyed some democratic progress but fell into strongman rule --- such as Peru, Haiti, Cambodia, Kazakhstan or Zambia --- classic democracy promotion effects to reform government institutions have been thwarted by leaders who have little interest in sharing power.

"Defense Mechanism" is always the sign of "Nationalism" in communist China. How to do the way of step by step to achieve political reform that following economic policy, should become next century's problems.

Taiwan and Hong Kong, experience would design the democratic program and then carry out with practice. The Chinese style of democracy should be drawn up by both two sides.