President Ma Ying-jeou has urged Beijing to embrace democracy and be kind to political dissidents. Ma’s remarks came on Wednesday, the 25th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.
The president said China will better endear itself to the Taiwanese people by being tolerant of different opinions than by yielding economic benefits through trade deals with Taiwan. Ma said that by embracing democracy, China will not only gain respect from the international community but also narrow the gap in thinking between people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
“After decades of rapid [economic] development, I believe China now is capable of developing into a society with freedom of expression, an independent judiciary, and a government that protects human rights and rule of law," said Ma.
Ma said he hopes Beijing will engage in political reform with the same energy it has used to push for economic reform. He also urged China to make democracy the shared language, and prosperity the shared dream of people on both sides of the strait.