Beijing ---

After a year in which most of its leaders have been imprisoned a banned opposition party broke a long silence with a bold demand yesterday (Dec. 24, 1999) for an end to Communist Party rule and the beginning of democracy in China.

The China Democracy Party rejected key Chinese communist doctrines --- the Communist Party’s constitutional right to hold supreme power, the right to unite Taiwan with the mainland by force and the insistence that national sovereignty must not be compromised, even to end abuses of rights.

“Simply put, human rights comes before sovereignty,” said the party declaration, a copy of which was faxed to The Associated Press.

An English summary of the 20,000-charcter statement called on the communist government to “terminate its one-party rule within a reasonable time frame.”

It did not call for the government’s overthrow but argued that the people have the right to abolish it “when their human rights are systematically and persistently violated.”

He Depu, a China Democracy Party member in Beijing , said the government had no immediate response but added that the declaration could bring on more repression.

“But we believe this work must be done. What we have written has been carefully considered and we believe it contains no errors,” he said. “We think it is very good.”

The statement came unexpectedly from the party, which had appeared to be inactive in the face of a government crackdown.

Eighteen leading members have been sentenced to prison on subversion charges, some for up to 13 years. China’s communists regard any activity that threatens their monopoly on power as subversive.

The China Democracy Party’s founding in June 1998 energized struggling dissidents. When the crackdown began late last year, the loosely organized group said it had as many as 500 members across the country.

The reports from DDP presidential nominee Chen Shui-bian offered his definition of Taiwan’s sovereignty and territory.

Taiwan needs “Taiwan Basic Law” that externally to declare Taiwan’s sovereignty and internally to establish a new nation. This is the spirit of special state-to-state statement.

Despite rhetoric, unification is not high on the agenda in either side Taipei and Beijing, but economic engagement can befit both sides. The people of Taiwan remain strongly opposed to reunification with the mainland. However, the best protection of Taiwan’s prospering democracy will come from economic interdependence with the mainland, not separation from it.

Mainland China has made the long-delayed and painful decision to join the global economy. Taiwan should help the mainland in this process. The mainland cannot progress with its present corruption-laden one-party system. Moving away from that system will involve some wrenching changes and internal strains.

Helping the mainland solve its problems will help protect Taiwan’s own well-being.